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Vi 




FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 



A First History 



OF 



FRANCE 



BY 



LOUISE CREIGHTON 

AUTHOR OF 'a FIRST HISTORY OF ENGLAND,' ' STORIES FROM 
ENGLISH HISTORY,' ETC. ETC. 



l^it\) Cllustrettfltt^ Sviii Mm 



NEW ;zDlTiON 



LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. 

39 PATERNOSJER ROW, LONDON 

NEW YORK AND BOMBAY 

190 I 

All rights reserved 



^0^ 






-A 



CONTENTS 



^^" • 










'^^ 


CHAPTER I 


^ 

w 

^ 


Roman Gaul 


DATE PACE 




The Gauls, 2 




B.C. 58 Caesar's Conquest of Gaul, 






3 




52 Yercingetorix, . 






3 




50 Gaul a Roman Province, 






4 




A.D. 170 Gaul becomes Christian, 






4 




310-390 St. Martin of Tours, . 






6 




450 Aitila, . 






7 



CHAPTER II 

Gaul becomes France 



481 Clovis, . 
628-638 Dagobert, 
613-714 Faineant Kings, 



CHAPTER III 
The Growth of the Carolingian Empire 

715-741 Charles Martel, .... 

751 Pepin the Short becomes King, 
768-814 Charles the Great, 

800 Charles the Great becomes Emperor, . 

b 



A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 



DATE 

843 Charles the Bald, 
843 Treaty of Verdun, 



PAGE 

22 
22 



CHAPTEH IV 

The Coming of the Northmen 

843 The Northmen, . . . , 

The Capetians, , , . , 

The Feudal System, 
885 The Northmen besiege Paris, . 
887 Eudes, Count of Paris, becomes King, 
911 The Northmen settle in France, 
987 The End of the Carolingian Rule, 



23 
28 

24 

25 
26 

27 
29 



CHAPTER V 

The First Crusade 



987 Hugh Capet, 


30 


996-1031 Robert i. the Pious, 


31 


1098 Siege of Antioch, 


33 


1099 Capture of Jerusalem, . 


35 


The Kingdom of Jerusalem, 


36 


Chivalry, 


37 


CHAPTER VI 




The Growth of the Towns, 




1108-1137 Louis vi., le Gros, 


39 


The Communes, 


39 


1109-1128 The Struggle at Laon, . 


41 


1137-1180 Louis VII., 


44 


1147 The Second Crusade, . 


44 


1151 Death of Suger, 


45 


1180 Death of Louis vii. , . , 


45 



CONTENTS 



Vll 



CHAPTER VII 

Philip Augustus 

DATK 

1180 Early Years of Philip Augustus, 

1190 The Third Crusade, 

1191 Siege of Acre, .... 

1192 Imprisonment of Richard the Lion-hearted, 
1204 Conquest of Normandy, 

1214 Battle of Bou vines, 
Albigensian War, 
1208- 1223 Crusade against the Albigensians, 
1223 Death of Philip Augustus, 



PAGE 

47 
48 
49 
51 
52 
53 
53 
54 
57 



CHAPTER VIII 

St. Louis 

1223-1226 Louis viii., 
1226- 1236 Regency of Blanche of Castile, 
Education of Louis ix., 
1236 Majority of Louis IX., . 
1248-1254 First Crusade of Louis ix., 
1250 Louis IX. a Prisoner, 

Crusade of the Pastoureaux, 
1254 Louis IX. returns to France, 
1270 Second Crusade of Louis ix.. 



58 
59 
60 
60 
62 
62 
64 
66 



CHAPTER IX 

The Flemish Wars 



1270-1285 Philip ill., the Rash, 
1282 The Sicilian Vesper, 

1285-1314 Philip iv., the Fair, 
1298 War with Flanders, 
1302 Battle of Courtrai, 
The Mal-Tote, . 



70 
70 
71 
73 
74 
75 



VIU 



A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 



CHAPTER X 
Philip IV. and Boniface VIII. 

DATE 

1300 The Jubilee, 

1302 The Estates-General, . 

1303 The Death of Boniface viii. , . 
1305 Clement v. becomes Pope, 
1307 Abolition of the Order of the Templars 
1314 Death of Philip IV., 

1314- 1316 Louis x. , le Hutin, 
1316-1322 Philip v., le Long, 
1322-1328 Charles IV., . 



CHAPTER XI 

The Hundred Years' War. 

1328-1350 Philip VI. of Valois, 

1328 Philip VI. makes war on the Flemings, 
1337 Beginning of the Hundred Years' War, 
1340 Battle of Sluys, 

War of Succession in Brittany, 
1344 The Gabelle, 

1346 Battle of Crecy, 

1347 Siege of Calais, . 

1348 The Black Death, 

1350 Death of Philip vi., 
1360-1364 Jean le Bon, 

1351 Murder of Charles de la Cerda, 
Capture of Charles the Bad of Navarre, 

1356 Battle of Poitiers, 
Captivity of King John, 

1357 The Dauphin summons the Estates-General, 
Etienne Marcel the chief man in Paris, 

1358 The Jacquerie, . 
1360 Death of Etienne Marcel, 

Release of John, 
1864: John returns to England, 
Death of John, . 



CONTENTS ix 

CHAPTER Xn 

Charles V., the Wise 

DATE PAGE 



1364 Accession of Charles v., 

1365 End of the War in Brittany, . 

1366 Charles v. espouses the cause of Henry of 

Trastamare, .... 

1367 Battle of Najara, 
1369 Death of Peter the Cruel, 
1375 Conquest of Aquitaine, 

1380 Death of Du Guesclin and Charles v. , 
Accession of Charles vi. , 

1381 Pvising of the Maillotons, 

1382 Battle of Roosebek, 

CHAPTER XIII 

The Burgundians and the Armagnacs 

1388 Majority of Charles vi., 

1392 Attempted Murder of Oliver Clisson, 

Madness of Charles vi., 
1404 Death of the Duke of Burgundy, 
1407 Murder of the Duke of Orleans, 

1413 Rising of the Cabochiens, 

1414 Invasion of Henry v. , . 

1415 Battle of Agincourt, 
1416 -1418 Count of Armagnac master in Paris, 

1419 Murder of the Duke of Burgundy, 

1420 Treaty of Troyes, 
1422 Death of Charles vi. and Henry v.. 



99 
99 

100 
100 
101 
101 
102 
103 
103 
104 



106 
106 
107 
109 
110 
111 
111 
112 
112 
113 
113 
114 



CHAPTER XIV 
Jeanne Darc 

1422-1461 Charles VIL, . . . .116 

1428 Siege of Orleans, . . . .115 

1429 Jeanne Darc raises the Siege of Orleans, . 116 
Charles vii. crowned at Rheims, . .119 



A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 



DATE 


PAGE 


1430 Jeanne taken Prisoner, 


119 


1431 Jeanne burnt at Rouen, 


120 


1435 Treaty of Arras, 


122 


1439 The Taille, .... 


122 


1453 Conquest of Guienne, . 


124 


1456 Eevolt of the Dauphin Louis, . 


124 


1461 Death of Charles vii., . 


124 



CHAPTER XV 

Louis XI. 

1461-1483 Louis XI., 

1465 League of the Public Good, 

1467 Death of the Duke of Burgundy, 

1468 Louis XI. at Peronne, . 
1472 The Duke of Burgundy invades France 
1477 Death of the Duke of Burgundy, 
1479 Battle of Guinegate, 

1482 Treaty of Arras, 

1483 Death of Louis xi. , 



126 
127 
127 
128 
129 
131 
132 
132 
133 



CHAPTER XVI 
Charles VIII. 

1483-1498 Charles vili., .... 
1483-1491 Anne of Beaujeu Regent, 

1491 Charles viii. marries Anne of Brittany, 

1494 Charles vm. goes to Italy, 

1495 Charles viii. leaves Italy, 
1498 Death of Charles viii. , 



134 
134 
135 
136 
137 
138 



CHAPTER XVII 
Louis XII. 

1498-1515 Louis xil., 

1498 Louis XII. marries Anne of Brittany, 

1499 Louis XII. goes to Milan, 



139 
139 
140 



CONTENTS 



XI 



1500-1501 Louis Xli. conquers Naples, 
1508 League of Oambrai, 
1515 Louis XII. marries Mary Tudor, 
Death of Louis xii.. 



PAGE 

141 
142 
143 
143 



CHAPTER XVIII 

Francis I. and Charles V. 

1515-1547 Francis I., 

1515 Battle of Marignano, 

1519 Charles v. becomes Emperor, . 

1520 Field of the Cloth of Gold, 

1523 Treason of the Constable of Bourbon, 

1525 Battle of Pavia, 
Captivity of Francis i. , 

1526 Treaty of Madrid, 

1527 Sack of Rome, . 
1529 Paix des Dames, 

1535 Francis i, allies himself with the Turks 

1544 Treaty of Crespy, 
Religious Reformation in France, 

1545 Massacre of the Vaudois, 
1547 Death of Francis i., , 



143 
146 
147 
148 
149 
150 
151 
152 
153 
154 
155 
155 
156 
156 
157 



CHAPTER XIX 

The Guises 

1547-1559 Henry ii., 

1552 Conquest of Metz, Toul, and Verdun, 
1556 Abdication of Charles v., 

1558 Duke of Guise takes Calais, 

1559 Treaty of Cateau Cambresis, 
Death of Henry ii., 

1559-1560 Francis II., 

Conspiracy of Amboise, 
Arrest and Trial of Cond6, 



158 
159 
160 
160 
161 
161 
161 
162 
163 



A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 



DATE 

1560 Death of Francis ii., . 
1560-1574 Charles IX., 

1560 Regency of Catherine of Medicis, 

1561 Conference of Poissy, . 



FAOB 

164 
164 
164 
165 



CHAPTER XX 



The Wars of Religion 

1562 Massacre of Vassy, 
First Civil War, 

1563 Peace of Amboise, 
1566 Second Religious War, 

1572 Attempted Murder of Coligny, 
Massacre of St. Bartholomew, 
1574 Death of Charles IX. , . 
1574-1589 Henry iii., 



167 
168 
169 
170 
172 
172 
175 
176 



CHAPTER XXI 



Henry of Navarre and the League 



1576 The League is formed, . 
1584 Death of the Duke of Alencon , 
Power of the Duke of Guise, 

1588 Murder of the Duke of Guise, .. 

1589 Assassination of Henry iii., 
Accession of Henry iv. , 

1590 Battle of Ivry, . 
Siege of Paris, . 

1593 Henry iv. becomes a Roman Catholic 
1596 Submission of the League, 
1598 Edict of Nantes, 

Treaty of Vervins, 
1600 Marriage of Henry iv., and Mary of Medicis, 
1610 Assassination of Henry iv.. 



177 
177 
178 
179 
180 
181 
183 
183 
185 
186 
186 
186 
187 
188 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER XXII 



Cardinal Richelieu 



DATE 

1610-1643 Louis xiii., 

1610 Mary of Medicis Regent, 

1617 Assassination of Concini, 
1617-1621 Albert de Luynes in power, 

1621 War with the Huguenots, 
1624-1642 Ministry of Richelieu, 

1628 Capture of La Rochelle, 

1631 Richelieu takes part in the Thirty Years' War, 

1635 Foundation of the French Academy, . 



PAGE 
190 

190 
190 
191 
191 
192 
193 
196 
197 



CHAPTER XXIII 



Early Years of Louis XIV. 



1643-1715 Louis XIV., .... 


199 


1643 Anne of Austria Regent, 


199 


Battle of Rocroy, 


199 


1643-1661 Mazarin in power. 


199 


1648 Treaty of Westphalia, . 


200 


1649 The Fronde, .... 


200 


1659 Peace of the Pyrenees, . 


201 


Louis XIV. marries Maria Theresa, 


. 202 


1661 Sole government of Louis xiv., 


202 


Colbert Chief Minister, 


204 


1666 Louvois Minister of War, 


. 206 


1667 War with Spain, 


206 


1672 Invasion of Holland, 


207 


1673 VV^illiam of Orange makes the first Coalitioi 




against France, 


208 


1678 Peace of Nimeguen, 


208 


1683 Death of Colbert, 


209 



XIV 



A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 



CHAPTER XXIV 



War of the Spanish Succession 

DATE 

1685 Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, 
1688 New Coalition against France, 

William of Orange becomes King of England, 
1692 Battle of the Hogue, 
1689-1697 War in the Netherlands and Germany, 
1697 Treaty of Ryswick, 

1700 Philip V. of Bourbon becomes King of Spain, 

1701 Formation of the Grand Alliance, 
1704 Battle of Blenheim, 

1711 Death of the Dauphin, . 
1713 Peace of Utrecht, 
1715 Death of Louis xiv., 



PAGE 

210 
212 
212 
212 
212 
212 
213 
213 
215 
216 
215 
217 



CHAPTER XXV 
The Decay of the Monarchy 



1715-1774 Louis xv., .... 


218 


1715-1723 Regency of the Duke of Orleans, 


219 


1723-1726 Ministry of the Duke of Bourbon, 


220 


1725 Louis XV. marries Maria Leczinska, 


220 


1726 Fleury Chief Minister, 


221 


1733 War of the Polish Succession, . 


221 


1741 War of the Austrian Succession, 


221 


1744 Illness of Louis xv. at Metz, . 


222 


1748 Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, 


'?9?, 


1756 Beginning of the Seven Years' War. . 


9,23 


1759 Battle of Quebec, 


224 


1763 Treaty of Paris, . . 


224 


Choiseul Chief Minister, 


224 


1774 Death of Louis XV., 


225 



CONTENTS 



XV 



CHAPTER XXVI 



The Last Days of the Monarchy 

DATE 

1774 Accession of Louis xvi. , 
1774-1776 Ministry of Turgot, 
1776-1781 Ministry of Necker, 

1783 Peace of Versailles. Independence of the 
United States, 
1783-1787 Ministry of Calonnes, . 

1788 Recall of Necker, 
5tli May 1789 Meeting of the States-General, 
20tli June Tennis-Court Oath, 

27th June Fusion of the Three Estates, 



PAGE 

227 

228 
229 

229 
230 
230 
231 
231 
233 





CHAPTER XXVII 






The Revolution 




nth July 


1789 Dismissal of Necker, 


. 234 


14th July 


Capture of the Bastille, . 


234 




Formation of the National Guard, 


235 


4th Aug. 


Abolition of the Privileges of the Nobilit) 


', 236 


5th Oct. 


The King brought to Paris, 


237 


15th Jan. 


1790 France divided into Departments, 


238 


14th July 


Fgte of the Champ de Mars, 


238 


2nd April 


1791 Death of Mirabeau, 


241 


20th June 


Flight of the King to Varennes, . 


242 


17th July 


Massacre of the Champs de Mars, 

CHAPTER XXVIII 

The Terror 


244 


1st Oct. 


1791 Meeting of the Legislative Assembly, 


245 


April 


1792 The Assembly declares War, 


246 



XVI 



A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 



1792 



DATE 

20tli Jnne 
lOth August 
2iid to 6tli Sept. 
21st September 
22nd September 
21st January 1793 
6th AprU 



16tli October 
Mar. to Dec. 

27tli July 1794 



The People break into the Tuileries, 

Attack on the Tuileries, 

Massacres in the Prisons, 

Meeting of the National Convention 

Proclamation of the Republic, 

Execution of Louis xvi. , 

The Terror, . 

Robespierre Chief of the Committee 

of Public Safety, , 
Execution of Marie Antoinette, 
Rising in La Vendue, 
Rising of the Chouans in Brittany, 
Execution of Robespierre, . 
End of the Terror, 



PAGK 

247 
248 
249 
250 
250 
252 
252 



CHAPTER XXIX 

The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte 

1795 The Directory, . . . 

1796-1797 Bonaparte commands the Army of Italy, 

1798 The Expedition to Egypt, 
1799-1804 The Consulate, . 

1799 The Plebiscite, . 

1800 Battle of Mareugo, 

1804 Death of the Duke d'Enghieii, 
Napoleon Bonaparte becomes Emperor, 
Coronation of Napoleon, 
Camp at Boulogne, 

1805 Capitulation of Ulm, 
Battle of Austerlitz, 
Treaty of Presburg, 
Battle of Trafalgar, 

1806 Continental Blockade, 

1807 Peace of Tilsitt, 
Conquest of Portugal, 

1808 Joseph Bonaparte becomes King of Spain, 

1809 Siege of Saragossa, 



CONTENTS 






xvii 


r>K1¥. PAGE 


1810 Napoleon marries the Archduchess Marie 


Louise, ..... 271 


1811 Birth of the King of Rome, 






271 


1812 The Invasion of Russia, 






272 


Battle of the Borodino, 






272 


Retreat from Moscow, . 






273 


Passage of the Beresina, 






273 


1813 Battle of Leipzig, 






274 


1814 The Allies invade France, 






275 


Abdication of Napoleon, 






275 


Louis XVIII. becomes King, 






. 277 


1815 The Hundred Days, 






. 277 


Battle of Waterloo, 






277 



CHAPTER XXXI 
The Attempt to Restore the Monarchy 



1815 Return of Louis xviii., 

1824 Accession of Charles x., 

1830 Conquest of Algiers, 

Revolution against Charles x., 

Louis Philippe, .... 

1835 Conspiracy of Fieschi, . 

1836 Attempt of Louis Napoleon at Strassburg, 
Louis Napoleon imprisoned at Ham, . 

1847 The Political Banquets, 

1848 The Revolution of February, . 
Flight of Louis Philippe, 
Proclamation of the Republic, . 
Death of the Archbishop of Paris, 



279 

280 
280 
281 
281 
282 
283 
283 
283 
284 
284 
285 
285 



CHAPTER XXXn 

The Second Empire and its Fall 

1848-1852 Louis Napoleon President, 
1861 The Coup d'Etat, 
1852 Napoleon iii. proclaimed Emperor, 



287 
287 
288 



XVlll 



A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 



DATE PAGE 

1854 The Crimean War, . . . . .289 

1856 The Peace of Paris, . . . .289 

1859 The Italian War, . . . .289 

1866 War between Prussia and Austria, . . . 290 

1870 France declares war against Prussia, . . 290 
Battle of Sedan, . . . .290 
The Pepublic proclaimed in Paris, . . , 291 

1871 The King of Prussia becomes German Emperor, . 291 
The Commune in Paris, .... 292 

1875 The New Constitution, . . . .292 



Index, 



295 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



Meeting of Henry viii. and Francis i. — Frontispiece. 
St. Peter giving the Pallium to Leo iii. , and a Banner to 

Charles the Great [from a Mosaic in the Lateran), 
Eudes {from the Cathedral at Chartres), . 
RoUo, Duke of Normandy, 
Jester, Twelfth Century, 
Mowing {from a Psalter, twelfth century), 
Ploughing {from a Psalter, twelfth century) 
Amiens, ...... 

Vintage, Twelfth Century, 

Medal of Richard Coeur de Lion, 1199, 

Rouen Cathedral, .... 

Seal of Richard Coeur de Lion, 1199, 

Thirteenth-Century Falconers, 

Louis IX. {engraved on a gem about 1314) 

Bellman, end of Thirteenth Century, 

The Three Estates {from a thirteenth-century Missal), 

Head-dresses from a Window, Fourteenth Century, 

Soldiers of Fourteenth Century {from La Sainte Ghapelle 

Paris), 

Costume, Fourteenth Century, . , ', . 

Statues from Rouen Cathedral, .... 



19 
26 
28 
35 
38 
40 
42 
46 
49 
50 
57 
59 
63 
68 
77 
82 

89 

97 

108 



XX A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

PAGE 

Standard, Banner, and Pennon of Jeanne Dare, . . 117 

Rheims Cathedral, 119 

Jeanne Dare {from a Portrait in the Museum at Orleans, 

datedimi), 121 

Guilleaume de May, Captain of the King's Archers, 

A.D. 1480, 133 

Henry iv. , 184 

LaRochelle, 193 

Arms of La Roehelle, 198 

Louis XIV., 214 

Marie Antoinette forced to descend from her Carriage, . 243 

The Guillotine, 251 

Murder of Marat, 254 

General Hoche signing the Pacification of La Vendee, . 254 

The Emperor Napoleon, ..,,,.. 276 



MAPS. 



Empire of Charlemagne, . 
France in the Time of Hugh Capet, 
France in the Time of Philip Augustus, 
France at the Death of Louis xi., . 
France at the Death of Louis xiv., . 



to face p. 20 ^ 
„ 30- 
„ 54 
„ 134 
.» 208 



INTRODUCTION 

Before we begin to study the history of France, let 
us look at its position on the map of Europe. It 
belongs both to the south and to the north ; for it has 
sea-ports on the Mediterranean as well as on the Eng- 
lish Channel and on the Bay of Biscay. On the south and 
west and part of the north, France has what are called 
natural boundaries, the sea and the great mountain 
chain of the Pyrenees ; but on the east and part of the 
north there are no boundaries clearly marked by nature ; 
and on this side France has often tried to grow bigger, 
so that sometimes it has been bigger, and sometimes 
smaller than it is at present. 

Like England, France has a climate which is neither 
too hot nor too cold, but it has more sunshine and less 
damp and fog than that island. In the south, vines and 
olives grow, and the wines of France are the best in the 
world. Its wealth, its position, and the character of its 
people have made France play a great part in the his- 
tory of Europe ; and it will help you to understand the 
history of England better to know something of the 
history of the French, her nearest neighbours. 
A 



CHAPTER I 

ROMAN GAUL 

When first we hear anything about France, it is 
described as covered with marshes and dense forests 
inhabited by wild beasts. The people lived in caves, 
and made arms and tools out of bones and flints. Of 
these people we know little, and the first inhabitants of 
the land about whom history teaches us anything are 
the Gauls. They came from the far East, and gave the 
name of Gaul to the land which we call France. 

The Gauls belonged, like the Irish, the Welsh, and 
the Highlanders, to the great family of the Celts. They 
were tall, with fair skin, fair hair, and blue eyes. They 
were terrible in the battle-field, but were easily cast 
down by misfortunes, though quick to hope again. A 
Gaul thought it beneath him to plough and till the fields, 
though he would hunt and tend cattle. They were 
lively people, and liked to sing and feast and recite 
poetry. Their land was rich in mines, and they were 
clever in working in copper and gold, and eager to 
trade with other people. They made roads and bridges, 
and plied the rivers in leather skiffs. They carried on 
much trade with Britain, and sailed the Channel in 
clumsy ships with leather sails. 

The Gauls prayed to the spirits in the thunder, the 



ROMAN GAUL 3 

sun, the mountains and rivers. They had no temples, 
but their priests, the Druids, made altars in the deep 
forests, where sometimes living men were offered as 
sacrifices. These Druids were judges and doctors as well 
as priests ; they were set apart from the rest of the 
people, and were greatly honoured. They wrote no 
books, but the young disciples learnt from the lips of 
the old men, the wisdom that had come to them from 
their fathers. 

Caesar conquers Gaul, b.c. 58. — About 150 B.C. 
the Eomans came over the Alps and settled in the 
south of Gaul. They found the land pleasant and 
fertile, and after a while built cities there, and called 
this Eoman colony fhe Province ; and to this day that part 
of France keeps the name Provence. When the great 
Eoman, Julius Caesar, wished to make himself the chief 
man in Eome, he determined to win fame by conquer- 
ing the whole of Gaul. He has written the story of 
his conquest himself, and his book tells us much about 
the manners and customs of the Gauls. 

Vercingetorix. — Many of the bravest Gauls 
gathered round a great chief Vercingetorix, to fight 
against the Eomans. He told them to burn their corn, 
so that the Eomans might find nothing to eat, to break 
down the bridges and burn the villages, so that they 
might find no place to shelter in. At first he was able 
to make even Julius Csesar retreat before him ; but soon 
he had to retire to a place called Alesia. Then Caesar 
made ditches full of water, and built little forts all 
round Alesia. But some of Yercingetorix's men got 
out, and went all through Gaul, and gathered a great 
host to attack Caesar's camp. There were many more 
Gauls than Eomans, and they were very brave, but 



4 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

they had not been trained like the Eoman soldiers. 
Several times they attacked Csesar's camp in vain, until 
at last he turned upon them, and they fled in terror. 
Then Yercingetorix knew that all was lost ; but in the 
hope of saving his friends, he rode out on his battle- 
horse, clad in his richest armour, and throwing his 
sword at Caesar's feet, gave himself up a prisoner. He 
was taken to Eome, and when Caesar celebrated his 
conquest, the great Gaul was dragged behind his car in 
triumph. 

Gaul becomes a Roman Province. — After 
this, few of the Gauls dared to fight against Caesar. 
He was not harsh to them, for he wished to make them 
like the Eoman rule. He admired the brave Gauls, 
and took them to fight in his armies. 

For about 500 years Gaul was a Eoman province. 
The Gauls learnt a great deal from the Eomans. 
They came in time to speak their language and to use 
their laws. Splendid roads were made all over the land, 
and many walled cities, with fine temples and market- 
places, were built. The fairest cities and the most 
beautiful villas were in the south of Gaul ; and there 
we can still see the ruins of many of the great Eoman 
buildings. Paris was then only a little village on an 
island in the Seine, called Lutetia. But even then 
Julian, one of the Eoman emperors, was very fond of 
it. He describes it in a book which he wrote, and says 
that two wooden bridges go from the island to the 
banks of the river, and that the climate is mild, so that 
figs and grapes can be grown. 

Gaul becomes Christian. — The Eomans had 
killed the Druids and built temples of their own in Gaul. 
But about 170 a.d. Christian teachers came there. 



ROMAN GAUL 5 

The chief of these was Plotinus, a disciple of St. 
Polycarp, the holy Bishop of Smyrna, who in his 
youth had seen St. John himself. Plotinus settled at 
Lyons and taught the people there, and many became 
Christians. But one day the heathens at Lyons rose 
against the Christians, and dragged Plotinus, an old 
man of ninety, before the Roman governor. The 
governor asked him who was the God of the Christians. 
' If you are worthy,' answered Plotinus, ' you will know.' 
Then those who stood by began to kick him and strike 
him with their fists, while those at a distance threw 
stones at him. He was carried back to prison half- 
dead, and soon after died in his cell. Forty-seven 
other Christians were put to death at the same time. 
Amongst them was a girl called Blandina. At first she 
was tortured in prison, but though the cruel men went 
on all day till they were tired themselves, she would 
say nothing against Christ, but only answered, ' I am a 
Christian.' Again and again, on following days, they 
beat her with rods and burnt her with hot irons, but 
they could not make her deny Christ. Then they led 
her into the amphitheatre, an open-air theatre, with 
seats all round filled with people looking on. Here 
she was given up to the fury of wild beasts. Bound, 
with arms stretched out in the shape of a cross, she lay 
and prayed, and the beasts would not touch her. A 
second time she was brought into the amphitheatre and 
thrown before a wild bull. He tossed her on his horns, 
and when that did not kill her, a knife was plunged 
into her throat. 

For a moment it seemed as if there was an end of 
the church of Lyons. But the Church is watered by 
the blood of its martyrs. St. Irenaeus, who is called the 



6 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

light of the West, gathered together the scattered 
Christians. Seven new bishops were sent from Eome 
to carry the gospel all over Gaul. One of these, 
St. Dionysius, went as far as Lutetia or Paris. There 
he was beheaded on the hill of Montmartre, and buried 
by the care of a pious woman. A church was built 
over his body, and pilgrims came from all parts and 
made rich offerings at his tomb. In after days, under 
the name of St. Denis, he became the patron saint of 
France. After the year 312 the Church had rest, for 
then the Roman Emperor himself became a Christian. 

St. Martin of Tours, 310-390.— One of the most 
famous Christian teachers was St. Martin. He came from 
a land far away by the Danube. When he was only ten, 
he ran away from home to become a hermit. But he 
was taken and forced to be a soldier in the Roman army. 
He was not yet a Christian, but was preparing for 
baptism, when, passing out of Amiens one day, he saw 
by the gate a naked, shivering beggar. He felt in his 
purse and found it empty, so he took his sword, and 
cutting his cloak in half, gave half to the beggar. That 
night Christ appeared to him in a dream, clothed in half 
a cloak, and said to the angels who stood round him, 
' Martin, still a catechumen, has clothed me with this 
garment.' Martin took this as a sign, and immediately 
asked to be baptized, and became a Christian at the age 
of eighteen. 

On leaving the army he spent some time in study in 
Italy, and then came to Gaul. There, as he loved to be 
quiet, he settled in the country near Tours, and founded 
the first monastery in Gaul, where other monks lived 
with him in prayer and the service of God. As time 
went on, much against his will he was made Bishop of 



ROMAN GAUL 7 

Tours. As bishop, lie laboured without ceasing to 
carry the gospel to the poor, ignorant peasants of the 
country. He spent his days walking from place to 
place, followed by his disciples, and wherever he went 
he taught the people, so that he was called the Apostle 
of the country. 

The Fall of Rome. — Whilst Christianity was 
growing stronger in Gaul the power of the Eomans 
was growing weaker. On the other side of the Rhine, 
in the land which we now call Germany, there were 
many warlike, heathen tribes, whom the Romans had 
never conquered. These men longed for the riches and 
the fertile lands of the Roman empire. The Roman 
soldiers who used to guard the border lands so well, 
had grown fond of comfort and of an easy life. The 
barbarians were able to force their way into the 
provinces of the empire. The Gauls, who had so long 
been ruled by the Romans, had lost their old courage, 
and could not keep back the barbarians. In the 
beginning of the fifth century, fierce tribes, called the 
Franks, the Burgundians, and the Visigoths, came into 
Gaul to plunder. They were pleased with the fertile 
lands, and settled down in them, sometimes killing the 
poor Gauls, sometimes making them their slaves. 
The Franks for the most part settled in the north and 
centre, the Burgundians in the east, and the Visigoths 
in the south, from whence they crossed the Pyrenees 
into Spain. 

Attila, 450. — But soon after these first inroads 
there came a new scourge, a terror. to the barbarians as 
well as to the Gauls. A wild people called the Huns 
had come from Asia into Europe. They were small and 
ugly, and passed their life on horseback, living on raw 



8 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

meat and mares' milk. Their leader was called Attila, 
and men said he was the scourge of God, who had sent 
him to punish them for their sins. He said of himself 
that where his horse passed, the grass never grew 
again. In 450 he crossed the Ehine into Gaul, and 
destroyed and burnt one city after another. The 
people of Paris were so terrified, that they decided to 
desert their city. But a holy woman called Genevieve 
bade them have courage, and pray to God for help. 
At first they were angry, and would have stoned her, 
but at last they listened to her voice. Genevieve's 
prayers were answered, and the Huns did not come 
near Paris. She became in later days one of the patron 
saints of the city. 

The Huns were stopped in the plains of Chalons by 
a great army of barbarians, Gauls, and Romans, whom 
Aetius, the Roman general, had gathered to fight 
against the man who was the foe of all. It was a 
terrible battle, and 160,000 men lay dead or wounded 
amidst rivers of blood; but for the first time Attila 
was beaten. The victory was due to the Franks under 
their king Merovee, and the Visigoths under Theodoric, 
though Theodoric himself was killed. 

Attila was like a beast at bay. On the morning 
after the battle the Huns stood behind a wall of 
chariots, blowing their trumpets and waving their 
swords. In the midst of the camp, Attila stood upon a 
great heap of horses' saddles, to which he meant to set 
fire, should the enemy get into the camp, so that none 
might have the glory of killing him. Aetius did not 
dare to attack him again ; and Attila went back to 
Germany, and died two years afterwards. 



CHAPTER II 

GAUL BECOMES FRANCE 

The Franks. — Attila left ruin behind him. The 
Roman rule in Gaul was at an end, and for many years 
the different German tribes struggled together who 
should have the chief power in the land. Amongst 
these tribes the chief were the Franks, who loved 
freedom like all the Germans. In times of peace all 
their warriors met together to decide the affairs of the 
nation, and when they went to war they chose a king 
to lead them. It was their habit to choose kings from 
the family of the Merovingians, who were distinguished 
by wearing their long hair floating over their shoulders. 

Clovis, 481. — The greatest of the Merovingians 
was Clovis. He was only fifteen when the fierce 
Erankish warriors raised him, as their manner was, on 
a shield above their shoulders, and shouted that he 
should be their king. The Franks over whom Clovis 
ruled owned but little land in the country which is 
now called Belgium, round the city of Tournai. But 
as Clovis grew to be a man he decided to lead his 
brave warriors southwards to new conquests. 

He won his first victory over a Roman general near 
Soissons, and after the battle the heathen Franks 
plundered a church that stood near, and took from it, 



lo A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

amongst other things, a vase of great size and beauty. 
There was at that time a saintly bishop at E-heims 
called Eemigius. He sent a messenger to Clovis, and 
begged that the vase might be given back. Clovis, 
king though he was, did not feel that he had the right 
to give back the vase, but said that when the booty 
was divided, if the vase fell to his share, he would give 
it to Eemigius. All the booty was gathered together 
at Soissons to be divided. There Clovis asked the 
chiefs to give him the silver vase over and above his 
share. All were willing but one man, who stepped 
forward and smote the vase heavily with his battle- 
axe, saying, 'You shall have nothing save what 
you carry away as your just share.' Clovis did 
not answer, but sent the vase back to Eemigius. 
The next year the army was gathered together before 
Clovis, and as he passed along he stopped by the 
man who had broken the vase at Soissons. ' I have 
seen all the army,' he said, ' but no one has their arms 
in such bad order as you.' With that he dashed the 
man's sword to the ground. As the soldier bent to 
pick it up Clovis clove his head in two with his 
hatchet, saying, 'Thus did you smite the vase at 
Soissons.' This story shows that the dignity of king 
was so little thought of amongst the Franks that Clovis 
had shared the booty with his men as an equal. Yet 
his bravery gave him such power over these rude 
men, that none murmured when he slew one who had 
offended him. 

Clovis married Clotilda, a Burgundian princess. She 
was a Christian, and it was her great wish to convert 
Clovis, but he refused to leave his heathen gods. One 
day he was engaged in a battle with the Alamans, 



GAUL BECOMES FRANCE ii 

another German tribe, who fought so fiercely that he 
feared the battle would go against him. Then he 
lifted up his voice and said, ' Thou God whom Clotilda 
adores, I promise Thee perpetual service if Thou wilt 
give me the victory over my enemies.' The victory 
was his, and Clovis went back to find Clotilda at 
Eheims, and tell her that he was willing to become a 
Christian. Full of joy, she hastened to tell Eemigius 
the bishop. Clovis and three thousand of his warriors 
gathered together, to hear the truths of the Christian 
faith. When Eemigius told him of the crucifixion of 
Jesus Christ, he exclaimed : ' Had I been there with 
my Franks, I would have avenged His injuries.' 
Clovis was baptized on Christmas Day in the year 
496, and as he bowed his head to receive the waters 
of baptism Eemigius said, ' Adore what you have burnt, 
and burn what you have adored.' Many of his warriors 
were baptized with him, and Eemigius did not cease to 
toil for the conversion of the Franks. 

Little by little, Clovis conquered the other tribes 
which had settled in Gaul, or France, as it in time be- 
gan to be called after the Franks. He made Paris his 
capital, and improved the city and built churches there. 
He caused many other Frankish kings to be cruelly 
killed, that he might have no rivals to fear. But he 
did not drive out or destroy the people whom he found 
living in the land — the Gallo-Eomans, as they are 
called. These men had lost the courage which used to 
make the Gauls such great warriors, and they could 
not stand against the Franks. But they had learnt 
much from the Eomans, and were much cleverer and 
more civilised than the Franks. As time went on, and 
the Franks settled down, they learnt much from, the 



12 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

Gallo-Eomans. We have seen already that they took 
their religion. They took also many of their customs 
and laws, and they took even their language, though 
they added some of their own words to it. But the 
French of to-day, though they are called after the 
Franks, are a mixed race, and are more like the old 
Gauls than the Franks. The Franks went very little 
into Southern Gaul, or Aquitaine, where the Goths had 
settled ; and in Eastern Gaul the Burgundians had 
settled and formed the kingdom of Burgundy. 

The France of Clovis, therefore, was much smaller 
than the France of to-day. It was in the north, then 
called Neustria, that his power was greatest. But even 
there he had not destroyed the people of the land, as 
the Angles and Saxons destroyed the Britons. The 
Frankish conquest of Gaul was like the Norman con- 
quest of England. The Franks became the chief men 
in the land, but the Gallo-Romans lived on under them, 
and did most of the work in the land. 

The Successors of Clovis. — After the death of 
Clovis his kingdom was divided amongst his four sons. 
They were fierce and brutal men, and were always 
quarrelling and fighting with one another. The history 
of France during the next hundred years is nothing 
but a history of fighting and murders and terrible 
crimes. There was great suff'ering for the people, who 
were at the mercy of the fierce warriors. The civili- 
sation that the Eomans had brought into the land 
disappeared in these terrible days. Some little learning 
was kept alive by the Church. Since the days of St. 
Martin many monasteries had sprung up, and in them 
alone could any quiet be found. There, men studied 
and worked with their hands, as jewellers and car- 



GAUL BECOMES FRANCE 13 

penters. They tilled the land also, dividing their time 
between prayer, work, and study. 

In spite of all their fighting and quarrelling amongst 
themselves, the power of the Merovingian kings grew. 
They conquered the Burgundians, and stretched their 
power further towards the east. Sometimes the king- 
dom was divided between several kings, and sometimes 
it was united under one rule. 

Dagobert, 628-638.— The greatest of all the 
Merovingian kings, except Clovis, was Dagobert. He 
was feared far and near. He visited the different parts 
of his dominions, that he might bring order to them. 
He gave justice to all who came before him, whether 
rich or poor, so that all said he was a man of God. At 
Paris, Dagobert built the church and abbey of St. Denis, 
where most of the kings of France were buried. He 
had it richly adorned, within and without, by a 
famous worker in gold and precious stones, Elvi, his 
chief adviser, who afterwards became a bishop and a 
saint. 

Faineant Kings. — After Dagobert came a number 
of kings so weak and foolish that they are called the 
faineant, or do-nothing kings. They kept little but their 
flowing hair to show that they were kings, and lived on 
their farms in the country with but few servants round 
them. The chief man in the land was no longer the King 
but the Mayor of the Palace, a minister whose business 
at first had been to manage the king's lands and bring up 
the royal children. All the great lords were eager to 
fill this important ofiice. But it fell at last to Pepin 
d'Heristal, a man who owned wide lands between the 
Rhine and the Meuse, in the district called Austrasia. 
He did not care to take the title of king from the 



14 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

Merovingians, but he really ruled himself. Pepin won 
much fame by driving back a heathen German race 
called the Saxons, who were trying to press across the 
Ehine into the Frankish land. He was so powerful that 
after his death the office of Mayor of the Palace stayed 
in his family. 



CHAPTEE III 

THE GROWTH OF THE CAROLINGIAN EMPIRE 

Charles Martel, 714-741. — Pepin's son Charles 
succeeded his father as Mayor of the Palace. He was 
called Martel^ or the hammer, from the way in which he 
overthrew his enemies. The people of Austrasia were 
very glad to have him as their leader ; but the Prankish 
lords in Neustria, the district round Paris, were jealous 
of him, and tried to put him down. He won three 
battles over them, and so became leader of all the 
Franks, though he still allowed one of the feeble 
Merovingians to call himself king. 

A great danger threatened Europe in those days. 
About the year 600 Mohammed had preached a new 
religion in Arabia. He had made the Saracens put 
away their idols and worship God, and honour himself 
as the gi'eatest prophet whom God had ever sent 
amongst men. He had told them to carry this new 
religion by the sword through the world. The Saracens 
had spread all along the north of Africa, conquering as 
they went. Then they had crossed into Spain and 
pressed on into France. They defeated Eudes, Duke 
of Aquitaine, the southern part of France. Eudes fled 
to ask help of Charles Martel, and Charles and his men 
hastened to save Christendom from the Saracens. They 



i6 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

came upon them just as they were hoping to plunder 
the rich monastery of St. Martin at Tours. The two 
armies met near Poitiers ; for nearly seven days they 
watched one another. At last the fight began. The 
Saracens with their sabres dashed themselves in vain 
against the Franks, gathered like an immovable sea 
around their leader. They fought till nightfall. In 
the morning the Franks arose to go on with the battle. 
They saw stretched before them the tents of their 
enemies, but when they looked closer the tents were 
empty In silence the Saracens had fled in the night, 
and Christendom was saved. 

Till his death Charles continued his work of driving 
the Saracens out of France. He also made the Bur- 
gundians obedient to him, and increased his power on 
every side. 

Pepin the Short becomes King, 752. — Charles 
was succeeded by his sons, Pepin le Bref, or the Short, 
and Carloman. After six years Carloman retired 
into a monastery, and Pepin ruled alone. He felt it 
was time to get rid of the useless Merovingian kings, 
and sent two bishops to Eome to ask the Pope what 
should be done with him who had the name, but not 
the power of king. The Pope answered, that it would 
be better that he who had the power should also have 
the name. Then Pepin shaved off the long hair of the 
last Merovingian and shut him up in a monastery. The 
Franks who, according to the habits of the Germans, 
claimed the right to choose their king, joyfully 
proclaimed Pepin king. 

The Carlings. — With Pepin begins therefore the 
2nd dynasty, or family, of Prankish kings called the 
Carlings, or sons of Charles, after Charles the Hammer, 



GROWTH OF CAROLINGIAN EMPIRE 17 

the founder of their greatness. You must think of 
Pepin as ruler of the Franks, not as ruler of France 
as we know it now. His power stretched far across 
the Rhine, for there also the Franks were the ruling 
people. He was even called into Italy to help the 
Pope against his enemies. In Gaul, Pepin spread 
his power to the south, driving the last of the Saracens 
over the Pyrenees, and adding Aquitaine to the lands 
of the Franks. So for a time the Franks were the 
chief people in Europe. 

Charles the Great, 768-814.— Pepin died in 
768, and his son Charles succeeded him. He is gener- 
ally known as Charlemagne, that is, Carolus Magnus, 
or Charles the Great. He was one of the greatest 
rulers whom the world has ever seen. In the midst of 
those "^vild peoples, he built up a great Christian empire, 
and strengthened it by' close friendship with the Pope, 
the spiritual ruler of the world. He was called into 
Italy by the Pope to fight against the Lombards, who 
were again troublesome. He defeated their king and 
shut him up in a monastery, and had himself crowned 
with the iron crown of Lombardy. He crossed the 
Pyrenees into Spain, and drove back the power of the 
Saracens. Returning in haste from this war, a mis- 
fortune befell his army in the mountains. Charles was 
on ahead, and his rear was being led through the narrow 
mountain pass of Roncesvalles, when the enemy fell 
upon them from hiding-places in the woods and rocks, 
and utterly destroyed them, before Charles could come 
to their rescue. The great warrior Roland was among 
the slain, and he became the hero of Prankish' song; 
three hundred years later a famous poem was written, 
called the Chanson de Roland^ which tells of the brave 

B 



i8 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

deeds done by the knights of Charles the Great in the 
war against the Saracens. Eoland, whom the legend 
calls Charles's nephew, is the bravest of all the knights, 
and the poem tells us of the mighty strokes that he 
wielded with his good sword Durandal in the pass of 
Eoncesvalles, and how he blew on his enchanted ivory 
horn Olifant, making the hills resound as long as breath 
was left in his body. 

The people who gave Charles the most trouble were 
the Saxons, who lived in the north of Germany, along 
the Elbe, men of the same race as those who had 
conquered Britain three hundred years before. They 
were still heathens, and a fierce and warlike people. 
Charles often defeated them, but they rose again as 
soon as his back was turned. At last he crushed them 
entirely, though not without using great cruelty. 
Then he sent Christian teachers amongst them, caused 
churches to be built, and gave them just laws, so that 
in time the Saxons became faithful subjects. 

Charles the Great becomes Emperor, 800. — 
We cannot follow all the wars of Charles the Great. 
On all sides he extended his dominions ; they reached 
to the Oder in Germany, to the Theiss in Hungary, the 
Garigliano in Italy, the Ebro in Spain. In all things 
he had been the friend of the Pope ; and now, when 
he was the greatest prince in Christendom, the Pope 
was willing to crown him Emperor; so that, as the 
Pope ruled the spiritual affairs of Western Christen- 
dom, he might rule the temporal affairs. 

After the building of Constantinople by Constantine, 
the first Roman emperor who became a Christian, there 
had been for many years two emperors — one in the 
East, ruling at Constantinople, and one in the West, 



GROWTH OF CAROLINGIAN EMPIRE 19 

ruling at Kome. Since the invasions of the barbarians, 
there had been no Emperor in the West, but now Charles 




ST. PETER GIVING THE PALLIUM TO LEO III., AND A BANNER TO 
CHARLES THE GREAT. 

{From, a Mosaic in the Later an.) 

was great enough to bear the old title. On Christ- 
mas Day he was crowned emperor in the church of 



20 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

St. Peter at Eome by the Pope, whilst the people with 
shouts of joy saluted him as Carolus Augustus, great 
and pacific emperor of the Eomans. 

So it was that a ruler taken from the German peoples 
became Holy Eoman Emperor. In after -times the 
emperor was chosen by the chief princes of Germany, 
but he could only be crowned and anointed by the Pope 
in Home. 

Government of Charles the Great. — Charles 
the Great was not only a mighty conqueror, he worked 
hard to give good government to all his vast dominions. 
He placed counts in the different provinces, to judge 
wrongdoers and to collect the taxes. He bade them 
treat every one with moderation, and be the defenders 
of the widows and orphans. He wished to know 
how things were going on in every part of his 
empire, and with this object he sent two trusted coun- 
sellors — generally a bishop and a count, called missi 
dominici, messengers of the master — into every province 
to see that the counts were doing their work properly. 
Then he used to gather all the chief nobles, bishops, 
and abbots round him, to discuss the laws which he and 
his advisers had drawn up, which were called capitu- 
laries. With all those who came together Charles 
talked freely, trying to learn from each the condition 
of his country, joking with the young, and treating the 
old with respect and reverence. 

Charles liked best to live at Aachen, where he had 
built a beautiful church and palace, adorned with 
precious marbles from Italy. There was also a great 
swimming-bath, where he loved to sw^im with his sons 
and his nobles. His other favourite amusement was 
hunting. He was very fond of his family, and took his 




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Cr eightcrris Frarux/ ,-p.20. 



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GRO WTH OF CAROLINGIAN EMPIRE 21 

daughters with him on his journeys, and even on his 
hunts and wars. He was a tall, strong man, with 
brilliant eyes and a big nose. He liked to eat quan- 
tities of roast meat, but he was temperate in drinking. 
He loved learning, and set up schools in the churches 
and monasteries, and had a school at his palace for his 
own children and those of the court. He had not been 
taught much in his youth, but he tried to educate him- 
self as a man; he learnt Latin well, and was interested in 
astronomy and other studies. He tried hard to learn 
to write, but without much success. On his journeys 
he visited the different schools he had set up, and 
examined the children in their progress. When once 
he found that the noble children had been idle, he 
spoke to them in a voice of thunder, rebuking them 
because, proud of their birth and their riches, they had 
neglected their studies ; if they did not improve, he 
bade them expect no favour from him. 

He gathered learned men from all countries to his 
court. Chief of these were the Englishman Alcuin, a 
pupil of Bede, Charles's trusted friend and adviser, and 
Eginhard, a Frank, who wrote his life. 

This great ruler died at Aachen in the year 814 ; he 
was buried in the church which he had built, and his 
statue was placed upon his tomb. 

Successor of Charles the Great. — Charles the 
Great was so wise a man that he was able to rule and 
keep in order his mighty empire. It was made up of 
so many different peoples that only his strong hand 
could hold it together. His son Louis succeeded him. 
He was a good, kindly man, who won the surname of 
the Debonnaire by his gentleness, but he was more fit 
to be a monk than a king. He tried to do right, but he 



22 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

governed very foolishly. His own sons rebelled against 
him, and twice succeeded in driving him from the throne. 
They hoped to force him to become a monk. But 
Louis's party was each time strong enough to bring 
him back again. When he died, his empire was divided 
among his sons. 

Charles the Bald, 840.— Charles the Bald, the 
youngest son, had France for his share, and he and his 
brother Louis joined together against the eldest brother 
Lothaire, who was king of Italy, and emperor. They 
defeated him in a great battle, and afterwards went 
together to Strassburg, where they took a solemn oath 
of friendship to one another in the presence of their 
armies. In this oath we see how the French language 
was growing up as something quite distinct from the 
German. Charles the Bald took his oath in G-erman, 
that Louis's soldiers might understand him; Louis 
swore in French, that Charles's soldiers might under- 
stand. This language, which was called French, was 
really the old tongue spoken by the Gallo-Eomans, a 
kind of Latin to which a good many German words 
had been added by the Franks. 

Treaty of Verdun, 843.— Shortly after this the 
three brothers made peace, and Charlemagne's empire 
was divided into three parts — France, Germany, and 
Italy. The country which was called France, and 
which fell to the share of Charles the Bald, was not so 
large either as the Gaul of Roman times or as France is 
at present. It was bounded by the Meuse, the Saone, 
and the Ehone. Its people were a mixture of races, 
but the Gallo-Romans and the Franks had now be- 
come one people, and it was their language that was 
spoken. 



CHAPTEE lY 

THE COMING OF THE NORTHMEN 

The Northmen, — In the days of Charles the 
Bald, a new race of invaders came to trouble France. 
These were the Northmen, who came in their swift 
boats from Denmark and Norway, and sailed up the 
rivers plundering and burning wherever they went. 
They were heathens, and had no respect for churches 
and monasteries. The monks and priests fled before 
them, trying to save their treasures by carrying them 
into strong cities. 

Charles the Bald was quite unable to resist these 
terrible enemies. He could not even keep his own 
kingdom together. The Bretons revolted and set up a 
king of their own ; the people of Aquitaine did the 
same. Each place tried to defend itself from the 
Northmen as best it could. Castles were built, within 
whose strong walls men sought shelter, when the boats 
of the Northmen appeared. All that Charles did was 
to bribe the Northmen with money to stay away, but 
this only tempted more to come. 

The Capetians. — The man, who fought most 
bravely against the Northmen, was Eobert the Strong, 
to whom Charles gave the charge of the country 
between the Seine and the Loire. He kept them 



24 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

back till he was himself killed in battle. He was the 
founder of the Capetian family, which was to give so 
many kings to France. 

The Feudal System. — The sons of Charles the 
Bald, Louis ii. and Louis iii., were not better rulers 
than he had been ; and it was whilst the kings were so 
feeble, that the power of the great lords grew so strong. 
Men were more willing to obey the great lord who 
.lived near them, in his strong castle with his men-at- 
arms, than the king who was far off, and did not know 
how to make himself obeyed. They were glad too of 
the protection of the great lord, when the fierce North- 
men came on their plundering raids. They promised 
the lord obedience and certain services, and in return 
for these promises he would give them portions of his 
lands. In this way there grew up what is called the 
feudal system. The land which each man held was 
called his fief; he had received it from his superior 
lord, whose vassal he was, whom he was obliged to 
obey and fight for. When a vassal received his fief, or 
when a son inherited the lands of his father, he had to 
pay homage for them. The vassal knelt before his lord 
and swore to be his homme or man. The great lords 
were the king's vassals, but they had under them so 
many vassals that they were nearly as great as the 
king himself. In their castles, girt with strong walls 
and deep ditches, they could do as they liked, and had 
no need to fear the feeble king. The poor were 
quite at their mercy. Only the men who held land 
were looked upon as free ; the peasants who tilled the 
land were serfs. If the land Avas given away or sold 
the serfs went with it, but they could not be taken 
away from their families and sold as slaves. Still, their 



THE COMING OF THE NORTHMEN 23 

state was very miserable ; they had to pay heavy taxes 
and work very hard, and often the harvests which 
they had gathered with bitter toil, were taken from 
them by the lords. Many rich lands were held by the 
Church, and the bishops and abbots were among the 
chief men of the land, and had many vassals under 
them. 

The Northmen besiege Paris, 885. — The 
grandsons of Charles the Bald died young, leaving only 
a boy of five to succeed them ; so the crown of France 
was given to another Carolingian prince, the Emperor 
Charles the Fat. He was a gentle and pious man, but 
helpless against his enemies. In his days the North- 
men sailed up the Seine to besiege Paris. An old song 
tells that they had a fleet of 700 sailing ships, besides 
small boats. Stupefied at the sight, men asked where 
Avas the river, since only boats could be seen. Paris 
had spread from the island in the middle of the river, 
to the banks on either side. Two bridges fortified 
with strong towers connected the island with the 
mainland. All the city was surrounded with new walls 
to resist the attack of the pirates. The men of Paris 
were full of courage, and they had a brave man, Eudes, 
for their Count. For a year they held out under his 
leadership. The Normans again and again attacked the 
walls with fury. They ravaged all the country around, 
killing old and young, destroying the vines and the 
crops. The heroes in Paris still held out, even when 
the plague broke out amongst them and added to the 
horrors of the siege. Then Eudes escaped from the 
city, to beg Charles the Fat to hasten the help, which he 
had so long promised to bring. Eudes himself did 
not stay away a moment longer than he needed 



26 



A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 




One morning those who were 
anxiously watching in Paris, saw 
the rising sun gilding the armour 
of their Count, as he appeared 
with his warriors on the heights 
of Montmartre. Galloping his 
horse, he passed through the 
Normans, and got safe within 
the walls of the city. 

The lazy Charles took three 
months to bring his army to 
Paris, and when he came he 
would not risk a battle. To 
his shame, he only bribed the 
Northmen to go away. In 
return for his money, they 
promised to leave the land in 
peace ; but they did not heed 
their promise, and only turned 
away to plunder other parts 
of France. 

Eudes Count of Paris 
becomes King, 888. — The 
Franks, disgusted with the 
cowardice of Charles the Fat, 
deposed him. He was the 
last to rule over France and 
Germany at the same time. 
The brave Eudes was chosen 
king of France in his place. 
But after a while some tried 
to make a prince of the Car- 

(From the Cathedral at Chartres.) olingiau hoUSC, CharleS the 



THE COMING OF THE NORTHMEN 27 

Simple, king. So the Franks quarrelled instead of 
uniting to resist the Northmen, who overran France 
again. Violence ruled in the land, and the laws neither 
of God nor men were respected. 

The Northmen settle in France, 911.— Eudes 
died, worn out with his many wars, and all took 
Charles the Simple for king. But the power of the 
king was gone. The great lords did as they liked in 
their own lands, and the Northmen returned again and 
again to plunder, directed by a fierce and warlike chief 
named Eollo. Charles the Simple did nothing to save 
his country. At last, when roused by the loud com- 
plaints over the misery of France, he only sent to 
Eollo to offer him his daughter in marriage, and a large 
portion of land from the sea to the river Epte to settle 
in. Eollo was asked to promise in return, that he and 
his followers would be baptized, and do homage to 
the king for his duchy, which was called Normandy. 
Eollo agreed to these terms, and he and the king met 
to conclude peace on the banks of the Epte. 
When he was told that he must do homage by 
kissing the king's foot, he answered proudly, 'Never 
will I bend my knee to any one nor kiss his foot.' At 
last he was persuaded to bid one of his warriors do 
homage for him. The rough Northman seized the 
king's foot, and lifted it to his lips in such a manner 
that the king fell over backwards, amidst shouts of 
laughter from the bystanders. Eollo and his warriors 
were baptized at Eouen. He then settled his land, 
granting it out in portions to his followers. The land 
which had been ravaged by the Northmen, was now 
cultivated by them, and the churches and cities which 
they had overthrown, were built up again. 



THE COMING OF THE NORTHMEN 29 

Rollo is said to have established such good order in 
Lis duchy, that some golden bracelets which he hung 
one day upon an oak in a forest, where he was hunting, 
remained there for three years without any one daring 
to touch them. 

Tlie End of the Garling Rule.— The French 
were tired of the weakness of Charles the Simple, and 
they said they would have Eobert, Count of Paris, for 
their king. He was killed soon after in battle, and 
then his son-in-law, Raoul, Duke of Burgundy, was 
chosen king. Still, there were some who thought that 
the king should be a Carling, and when Raoul died, 
the Count of Paris, who was the chief man in the land, 
rather than be king himself, chose to put first a son, 
and then a grandson of Charles the Simple on the 
throne. But the barons at last thought that it was 
best that the man who had the power should also have 
the name of king. They met together and chose 
Hugh Capet, Count of Paris, to be their king. You 
have seen how the counts of Paris won fame by their 
brave figliting against the Normans. Twice before one 
of them had been chosen king, but after Hugh Capet 
the monarchy remained in their family. With the 
Capetian kings in 987, really begins the history of 
France as we know it now, for the Carlings in their 
great days belonged rather to Germany than to 
France. 



CHAPTER y 

THE FIRST CRUSADE 

Hugh Capet, 987. — The lands which belonged to 
Hugh, king of France, formed but a very small part 
of the country that we now call France. He had his 
own duchy of Paris, or the He de France, and to this 
he now added the lands round Laon, which had belonged 
to the Carolingian kings. This little district was 
surrounded by the states of the great vassals. First 
came those who had received their lands as gifts from 
former kings, the Counts of Anjou, Chartres, and 
Champagne. Then came those who were really as great, 
or perhaps greater than the king himself, the Dukes of 
Burgundy, Aquitaine, Toulouse, Flanders, and Nor- 
mandy. They did homage to the king for their lands, 
but this was a mere form, and within their own duchies 
they did as they liked. The Duke of Brittany did not 
even owe him homage. As the king of France had no 
sea-border of his own, his position did not lead him to 
have much to do with any but his own vassals. The 
first question for him was how to make himself really 
chief amongst them. We shall see how, little by little, 
the power of the Capetian kings grew, — how they by 
degrees made the lands of their vassals their own, till 




'ecT-i ^ Co..Londan.iS'€'W York, & 'Bomb, 



°J- 




FRANCE 

in the time o£ 

HUGH CAPET 



CreighJx/rCs Frazua^.v 30. 



Loi\cjrrux3\s Greeii J- &j.. Lanoxin, New Yorh & Bcnnbaj'. 



THE FIRST CRUSADE 31 

the king of France became one of the chief rulers in 
Europe. 

The Church was the chief supporter of the new royal 
family. The Capetians were pious men and close friends 
of the clergy, who in their turn upheld their power, and 
helped to make the people look up to them. 

Robert I., the Pious, 996-1031.— Hugh Capet 
was succeeded by his son Eobert, called the Pious. He 
had been brought up by the monks ; and his life, written 
by one of them, has come down to us, and is full of 
stories of his piety. He allowed the poor to come 
round him constantly, and loved to give alms, and to 
tend the lepers with his own hands. 

One day when Eobert was at a feast a beggar seated 
himself at his feet, and the king passed him food from 
his own plate. The beggar meanwhile with a knife cut 
off the golden fringe, which adorned the king's dress, 
and carried it away unnoticed. But as Robert rose 
from the table, the queen saw what had happened, and 
exclaimed angrily, ' Is it thus that you allow yourself 
to be dishonoured % ' I am not dishonoured,' answered 
the King ; ' this gold was doubtless more necessary to 
him who has taken it, than to me.' 

Weakness of the first Capetian Kings.— 
Eobert, his son Henry l., and his grandson Philip i., 
were all weak kings. Their reigns lasted from 996 
till 1108, and this was a miserable time for Prance. 
The king was not strong enough to keep the nobles in 
order, and they were constantly at war with one another. 
In these wars it was the poor serfs who suffered most. 
Their homes and crops were plundered or burnt, and 
they themselves often left to die of starvation. In this 
misery the only help came from the Church. In 1041. 



32 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

the clergy succeeded in getting the nobles to respect 
what was called the Truce of God. This forbade 
fighting between every Thursday evening and Monday 
morning, as well as during Advent and Lent, and on 
all feast-days. As the Church threatened with excom- 
munication those who did not keep the truce, and 
men were afraid of dying excommunicated, many were 
led to obey, and learnt to live quietly at least for 
part of the year. The clergy were also active in 
building churches ; and many monasteries arose, where 
men could lead quiet lives and give themselves to 
study. 

^SATilliam of Normandy. — The greatest man of 
those days was William, Duke of Normandy. He be- 
came duke when he was only a boy, and though many 
enemies tried to take advantage of his youth, he 
grew to be so great a ruler, that in 1066 he was 
able to lead his vassals to conquer England. So the 
Duke of Normandy became King of England, and was 
a mightier prince than his suzerain lord, the King of 
France. 

The First Crusade, 1095-1099.— In those days 
the Christian pilgrims, who wished to visit the holy 
places in Jerusalem, had to suffer many things from 
the Saracens or Turks, who had captured the holy city. 
One of the pilgrims, a monk called Peter the Hermit, 
had seen with horror the sufferings of the Christians in 
Palestine. He felt sure that, if the princes and people of 
Europe knew what went on, they would hasten to drive 
the Turks out ; and he decided to spare neither pains 
nor fatigue, but to travel all over Europe and urge on 
men to the holy work. He was a small, common- 
looking man, and walked barefoot, clad in a monk's 



THE FIRST CRUSADE 33 

cloak \ but the burning words which he spoke stirred 
men's hearts. Crowds hung upon his lips, and were 
ready to do all he bade them. 

The Pope, Urban 11., had also heard of the hardships 
of the pilgrims, and he bade the Christians of Europe 
gather together at Clermont in France, to discuss what 
should be done. Numbers of bishops and abbots and 
about 100,000 people met together. The words of the 
Pope and of Peter the Hermit, urging them to deliver 
Jerusalem from slavery, were received with tears, and 
cries of ' It is the will of God ! ' Nearly all present 
determined to help the glorious work, and fastened 
red crosses on their clothes. All who went to fight 
the infidels were called Bearers of the Cross, and from 
this the holy war was called a Crusade. 

The enthusiasm spread far and wide. Fathers did 
not dare to keep back their sons, nor vidves their hus- 
bands. The roads were crowded with men and women, 
rich and poor, marching with songs of joy to the holy 
war. The people would not wait, and a confused crowd 
which numbered some 500,000 people, led by a soldier 
named Walter the Penniless and by Peter the Hermit, 
started for the Holy Land. Many of them perished 
by the way, and the starving crowd which did 
reach Constantinople, was not at all welcome to the 
Emperor. He sent them on to Syria at once, where 
they were surrounded by the Turks and almost all 
killed. 

Siege of Antioch. — Meanwhile the barons, who 
knew better the real difiiculties of the expedition, were 
gathering together their forces. Three great armies 
marched, by different ways, and met at Constantinople. 
Godfrey of Bouillon, a French noble, was chosen general 

c 



34 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

of the whole army, in which were men of many different 
nations, but the greater number were either French or 
Normans. 

When the Crusaders reached Asia Minor, they had a 
long and painful march through burning deserts, till 
they came to the walls of Antioch. Many perished by 
the way of thirst and hunger ; others, weary of their 
hardships, deserted the army ; but Godfrey of Bouillon, 
with those who were as devoted as himself, pressed on 
with cheerful courage in spite of difficulties. Antioch 
commanded the way to Jerusalem, and was strongly 
fortified. For seven months the Crusaders tried in vain 
to take it. Then one of them, by bribing a Saracen 
Emir, got possession of three of the towers ; and in the 
midst of a frightful storm of wind and thunder, the 
Christians forced their way into the city. But they 
had little time to enjoy their conquest ; for they were 
immediately besieged themselves by a large Saracen 
army. 

Famine and pestilence added to the despair of the 
Christians, and many gave up all hope of success and 
returned to Europe. But Godfrey did not lose courage. 
At last even horse-flesh began to fail them. Then it 
was that a priest declared that St. Andrew had thrice 
appeared to him, and told him of a place in a church in 
Antioch, where was hidden the lance, which had pierced 
our Blessed Lord on the Cross. 

The finding of this sacred lance filled the despairing 
Crusaders with new courage. With the lance carried in 
front of them, they sallied from the city to attack their 
enemy. The Turks, seeing how few they were, thought 
that they meant to flee, not to fight ; but so furious 
was the attack of the Christians, that they carried 



THE FIRST CRUSADE 



35 



all before them. They drove away the Turks and 
captured their camp, with all its stores of food and 
luxuries. 

Capture of Jerusalem, 1099. — After lingering 
some time in Antioch, the Crusaders set out for Jeru- 
solem. There were only 50,000 of them left, whereas 
at Constantinople they were said to have numbered 




JESTER, TWELFTH CENTURY, 



600,000. Many were ill and worn-out with their toils. 
But their enthusiasm grew as they drew near the 
Holy City, and when at last they caught sight of its 



36 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

towers, tears streamed from their eyes. They fell on 
their knees with outstretched arms and kissed the holy 
ground, whilst cries of * Jerusalem ! ' and * It is God's 
wiU ! ' iilled the air. 

The city was well defended, and the Crusaders out- 
side the walls suffered terribly from heat and want of 
water. They made three wooden towers, which were 
rolled up to the walls, and from these they tried 
to make a breach. After a siege of forty days, they 
forced their way in. Then they took a frightful 
revenge for their own toils and the sufferings of the 
pilgrims. In the narrow streets of the city they cut 
down the hated Turks, till blood flowed in rivers; 
70,000 men are said to have perished. 

The Kingdom of Jerusalem, 1099. — Godfrey 
of Bouillon took no part in this frightful massacre. 
He hastened as soon as possible to lay aside his arms 
and go barefoot to the Holy Sepulchre. The rest, 
when their fury was satisfied, followed his example. 
They washed their hands, changed their dress, and 
went singing holy hymns to visit the sacred places. 

The next business was to take steps to keep safe, 
what they had won with so much toil. All felt to 
whose courage and patient effort their success was due, 
and that Godfrey of Bouillon alone was fit to be king 
of Jerusalem. He refused to be called king, saying that 
he was unfit to wear a crown of gold in the city where 
Jesus had worn a crown of thorns. He took the title 
of Defender and Baron of the Holy Sepulchre, and 
set to work to put in order the new State, which the 
French desired to found in this far-off country. Only a 
small number of the Crusaders stayed to help him ; the 
rest were eager to get home again. For fifty years 



THE FIRST CRUSADE 37 

Europe left the little kingdom to itself. Godfrey died 
the year after his election, and was succeeded by his 
brother Baldwin. 

Dangers surrounded the Christians in the Holy 
Land, and all their courage and all their efforts failed 
in the end. They could not found a strong Christian 
kingdom in a hot climate and a barren land, and 
Jerusalem was only won from the infidels for a short 
period. So the Crusades were really a failure, but they 
brought about much that was good. The barons left 
off fighting against one another, that they might fight 
together against the Turks. By joining with so many 
others of different countries for the same object, they 
learnt how to get on with other men, and to under- 
stand something about the big world that was outside 
their own castle walls. In their long journeys they saw 
much that was new, and learnt much of the wisdom of 
the East. Trade with the East became possible, and 
its treasures of spices and carpets and beautiful stuffs 
were brought to the West. 

Chivalry. — It was chiefly through the Crusades 
that the customs of chivalry grew up. These were the 
rules which guided the conduct of a knight. At the 
age of seven the training of the future knight began. 
At first he was a page, and had to follow his lord when 
hunting, and wait upon him at table, and practise him- 
self in every bodily exercise. At fifteen he became a 
squire, and then he might follow his lord to war. Some- 
times some brave act made him worthy to be raised to 
knighthood on the field of battle. Otherwise, at the age 
of twenty-one, after solemn ceremonies and prayers, he 
was clothed in full armour and knighted with a stroke 
on the shoulder from the flat of the sword of his lord. 



38 



A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 



A knight was bound to be brave and courteous, to 
respect women and protect the weak. In those rough 
times, chivalry helped much to make men gentler and 
more kindly to others. 




WOWING, (Psalter, twelfth century.) 



CHAPTER YI 

THE GROWTH OF THE TOWNS 

Louis VI., le Gros, 1108-1137.— The Crusades 
took away from France many of the wild barons, who 
had troubled the land with their fighting and lawless 
deeds. Their absence helped both the king and the 
men of the towns to increase their power. And now 
at last France had a king worthy the name. This was 
Louis VI. J who in his youth was called the 'Wide- 
awake,' but afterwards he grew so stout that he was 
called 'the Fat.' Under the rule of the feeble kings 
who had gone before him, even the small vassals who 
held lands in the royal domain itself had done just as 
they liked. Shut up behind the strong walls of their 
castles, they feared no one. Louis vi.'s first care was 
to bring them to obedience. His chief adviser was 
Suger, the wise abbot of the monastery of St. Denis in 
Paris, and Suger urged him to do all he could to make 
his royal power felt. One by one he put down his 
vassals, and in this way made the roads safe round 
Paris, for many of these barons had lived as robbers, 
plundering the merchants and travellers who passed 
along the roads. 

The Communes. — The merchants were glad to 
have the protection of the king against the lawlessness 



40 



A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 



of the barons. In those days trades and industries 
were growing, and the people were no longer willing to 
bear the ill-treatment of the barons. The towns were 
becoming larger and richer, and the citizens wished to 
be allowed to manage their own affairs. In the south 
of France the towns had never quite lost the rights 
which they had in the Eoman days ; but in the north, 
towns had grown up on the land, or round the castle, 
of some great lord, and the citizens were looked upon 




PLOUGHING. (From a Psalter, twelfth century.) 



as his serfs. They had to grind their corn in the 
lord's mill ; their women could not be married without 
his permission; and he could force them to pay him such 
moneys as he chose. Some of the towns determined 
to submit to this no longer. They rose against their 
lords, many of whom were bishops, and demanded to 
be allowed to set up what was called a Commune ; that 
means, to have the right to be governed by persons 
chosen by themselves, and to settle their own aflfairs. 



THE GROWTH OF THE TOWNS 41 

Sometimes they bought the right to have a Commune 
from those lords, who wanted money to help them to 
go to the Crusades. Sometimes they fought to gain 
their liberties. 

The struggle at Laon,— In the city of Laon there 
were great disturbances. It had a bishop for its lord, 
and he was willing at first, as he loved money, to sell 
the citizens the right to have a Commune. But when 
he had spent all the money, he invited King Louis vi. 
to come to Laon, and persuaded him to say that the 
citizens should no longer have their commune. When 
it was known what the King had done, there was such 
rage in the town, that Louis thought it well to go away 
at once. All day the shops and the inns were shut j 
nothing was bought or sold ; it was as if a terrible 
sorrow had fallen upon the city. Secretly the citizens 
planned their revenge. A few days after they rose, 
and, with shouts of ' The Commune ! ' armed with 
swords and lances and hatchets, they surrounded the 
bishop's palace. They killed the nobles who came to 
help him, and at last forced their way into the palace. 
The terrified bishop hid himself in a barrel in his 
cellar. He was discovered, dragged into the streets, 
and killed by the blows of the furious people. 

This murder was avenged by the nobles of the neigh- 
bourhood with great cruelty ; but they could not quite 
put down the citizens. Sixteen years afterwards, the 
next bishop thought it best to grant a charter giving 
the people a Commune. 

The first Communes. — Sometimes with similar 
struggles, sometimes more peaceably, other towns gained 
the right to set up a Commune. The earliest were 
Le Mans, Beauvais, St. Quentin, and Amiens. The 



42 



A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 



citizens who managed their own affairs, and cared for 
their own interests, grew rich and prosperous. The 
signs of their wealth can still be seen in the town halls, 
where the members of the Commune met together; and 
in the guild halls, where the weavers, goldsmiths, and 
others, each trade by itself, met to make rules for their 
work or to feast on their holidays. It was in the reign 




of Louis VI. that this time of prosperity for the mer- 
chants and craftsmen began. The beautiful cathedrals 
which were built, show both the wealth and piety of 
the people and the influence of the Church. Before long 
the pointed arch and delicate work of the Gothic builder 
began to take the place of the round arch and the solid 
masonry of the Normans. Nowhere can more noble 
churches be found than in the northern towns of France. 



THE GROWTH OF THE TOWNS 43 

Strength of tlie Church. — The Church was 
strong in those days, and was the firm friend of the 
king. The clergy saw that the only way to put down 
the lawlessness of the barons was to strengthen the 
king's power. They also tried to lessen the sufferings 
of the poor. Suger freed the serfs of his Abbey of 
St. Denis, and Louis VI. imitated him and freed the 
serfs on the royal lands. 

The Church also encouraged learning. Suger himself 
wrote a history of Louis Vi., and he caused the monks 
of St. Denis to keep a chronicle, in which they put 
down the chief things that happened in the land. This 
chronicle was kept for nearly three hundred years, and 
tells us much about the history of France. 

St. Bernard. — Many students began to gather in 
Paris to learn from the famous teachers at its schools, 
which grew into the great University of Paris. The 
holiest man of those days was St. Bernard, who founded 
the great monastery of Clairvaux, and did much to 
improve the teaching of the Church and the lives of 
the monks. 

The Wars of Louis VI. — Louis vi. had many 
wars in his life, not only against his own great barons, 
but against Henry I. of England and the Emperor. 
It was in one of his wars, that Suger brought the 
serfs of St. Denis to fight for him under their banner, 
the Oriflamme, of flame-red silk with three points, 
which became the royal banner of France. 'Mont- 
joie St. Denis!' became after this the battle-cry of 
the royal army. Louis VI. caused his son Louis to 
be crowned king during his own lifetime, and he 
married him to the greatest heiress of the day, Eleanor 
of Guienne, who brought as her dowry the rich lands 



44 ^ FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

in the south of France, Poitiers, Aquitaine, and Giiienne 
— an immense addition to the power of the Crown. 

Immediately after this marriage Louis vi. died, worn 
out with the toils of his active life, which had been 
made still more difficult by his enormous stoutness. 

Louis VII., 1137-1180. — Louis vii. was called 
the Young, because he had been crowned when a mere 
boy. He had been brought up under the care of Suger, 
who had made him pious, but could not make him a 
wise king. Fortunately, he was sensible enough to 
leave the government very much in the hands of Suger. 
He was also very ready to listen to the advice of St. 
Bernard, who wrote to him about the evil of his wars 
with his vassals. It was in one of these wars that 
Louis VII. burnt down a parish church, in which some 
hundreds of poor people had taken refuge. Horrified 
at what he had done, he vowed to go on a Crusade as a 
penance. St. Bernard was full of zeal for the Crusade, 
and preached in favour of it, wandering from place to 
place, and rousing such enthusiasm, that it was often 
difficult to get enough crosses, to fasten to the clothes 
of those who were eager to take the vow, and Bernard 
had to tear up his own clothes to make them. 

The Second Crusade, 1147.— Suger, who under- 
stood the work of a king better than Bernard, tried in 
vain to persuade Louis that it was his first duty to 
stay at home and care for his people. Louis vii. in- 
sisted in going on the Crusade. But when he reached 
Palestine, his only idea was to visit the holy places 
as quickly as possible, and then come back to France, 
leaving his army to its fate. Louis's young wife 
Eleanor had gone with him to the Holy Land, but 
she despised him when she saw what a poor soldier he 



THE GROWTH OF THE TOWNS 45 

was, and said that he was more fit to be a monk than a 
king. He grew to dislike her so much that he did not 
wish to have her as his wife any longer, but Suger 
persuaded him not to divorce her. 

Death of Suger, 1151. — Suger managed things 
wisely during the absence of Louis vii., and his wisdom 
was famed far and wide, so that men called him the 
Solomon of his age. He lived a simple, busy life, 
refreshing himself after his work with reading and 
talk. He slept little, and always rose early for prayer, 
showing the truest devotion to his religion. Men of all 
kinds came to see him, and none left him with a sad 
heart or empty hands. He died two years after Louis's 
return from the Crusade, having done a good work for 
his country. The year after his death, Louis divorced 
Eleanor, and in this way lost all the wide lands which 
she had brought as her dowry. Afterwards she married 
Henry of Anjou, who became Henry ii. of England, and 
was the greatest ruler of his time. 

Last Years of Louis VII., 1180.— The rest of 
Louis VII. 's reign was much troubled by wars with his 
mighty vassal Henry 11. of England. In the hope of in- 
juring Henry, Louis took up first the cause of Thomas a 
Becket and then of Henry's rebellious sons. In these 
struggles we see how much the power of the king of 
France had increased through the labours of Louis vi. 
and Suger. Louis vii. was a weak, foolish prince ; but 
Henry il., with all his might, was not able to do him 
much harm, partly, of course, because Henry had so 
many other enemies. The towns, with all their wealth, 
were always ready to stand by the king in France. 
They were anxious to keep the liberties they had won, 
and knew that it was best to have the king for their 



46 



A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 



friend. These busy merchants and artisans were 
becoming a real power in France, and formed a new 
class by the side of the clergy and the nobles, which 
came in time to be called the third estate. 

Louis VII. married twice after he divorced Eleanor. 
His third wife bore him a son, Philippe, called Auguste, 
because he was born in the month of August, who was 
crowned at the age of thirteen. Two years afterwards, 
at the death of his father, he became sole king. 




VINTAGE, TWELFTH CENTURY. 



CHAPTER VII 

PHILIP AUGUSTUS 

Early years of Philip Augustus, 1180.— The 
new king had as guardians his mother and the Count 
of Flanders ; and the barons hoped that with a boy as 
king they would be able to do as they liked. But 
Philip soon showed that he meant to manage his own 
affairs, and teach the feudal lords that he was their 
superior. He was quick to make use of any chance of 
increasing his power, and by the time he was twenty 
he had added to the lands of the Crown the counties of 
Vermandois, Amiens, and Yalois. He enriched himself 
and pleased the Church by persecuting the Jews, who 
were the money-lenders of those days. He took their 
lands and goods for himself, and banished them out 
of the country. 

From the first, Philip looked upon Henry II. of 
England as his great rival. The lands which belonged 
to the French kings were small compared to those of 
the English king, and Henry ii. knew well how to rule 
his wide realm. But troubles came to him through 
his sons, an unruly set of young men, with violent 
tempers and strong wills, who wished to be indepen- 
dent. Philip encouraged them in their discontent^ 
and they joined with him against their father. 

47 



48 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

The Third Crusade, 1190.— At this time Europe 
was horror-struck at the news which came from the 
Holy Land. For some time dangers had gathered 
thick round the kingdom of Jerusalem. Its first kings 
had been heroes; but now, when the Saracens were 
growing strong under the wise and brave Sultan Saladin, 
the barons of the kingdom of Jerusalem were disputing 
who should be king, and the Christians quarrelled when 
there was most need of union. Saladin defeated them 
at the terrible battle of Tiberias in 1187, where the flower 
of the Christian knights were killed, and soon after 
captured Jerusalem and all the chief cities. 

When this news reached Europe, for a moment all 
else was forgotten, and every one hastened to take the 
cross. Philip and Henry ii. made peace, and agreed to 
go to the Holy Land, and all their chief barons did the 
same. In truth neither of the kings wished to start on 
such a dangerous expedition, and were little likely to 
make friends. War soon broke out again between 
them; and Eichard, Henry ii.'s son, sided with 
Philip. Worn out with the troubles of his busy life, 
Henry II. died in 1189; and Eichard, known as the 
Lion-hearted, became king of England. Whilst rebelling 
against his father, he had been such friends with Philip 
that they had slept in the same bed, and drunk out of 
the same cup. But now they were rivals, and it was 
soon clear that their friendship was not very real. 

They were both pledged to go on the Crusade, and, 
having ordered how their kingdoms were to be 
governed during their absence, they started in 1190. 
They met their fleets at Sicily ; and the winds were so 
contrary that they decided to spend the winter there. 
Whilst waiting with nothing to do, quarrels and 



PHILIP AUGUSTUS 



49 



jealousies began, and before they reached the Holy 
Land the two kings and their followers were thoroughly 
irritated with one another. 

Siege of Acre, 1191.— When Philip and Eichard 
reached Palestine they found the Christians besieging 




MEDAL OF RICHARD CCEUR DE LION, 1199. 

Acre. A great army, made up of men of many 
nations, was gathered round its walls, and each knight 
tried to win fame by his bold deeds. None equalled 
Eichard in valour, but he was so proud and passionate 
that he was always quarrelling with the other princes. 
At last Acre fell, and then Philip, jealous of the fame of 

D 




KOUBN CATHEDRAL. 



PHILIP AUGUSTUS 51 

Ms rival Eichard, decided to go back to France ; he had 
never really cared for the Crusade, and longed to get back 
to his kingdom. He knew that if he was not as brave 
a knight as Richard, he was certainly a cleverer king. 

Even Eichard's valour could not make the third 
Crusade a success. The Christians were not united 
enough to carry out so difficult a task. Eichard had 
to be contented with making a truce with Saladin, 
which allowed Christian pilgrims to visit the holy places 
in peace. This was the last time that so many kings 
and princes joined together to restore the Christian 
kingdom of Jerusalem. 

Imprisonment of Richard the Lion-hearted. 
— When Philip left Palestine he had promised to do 
nothing to injure Eichard in his absence. But Eichard 
was shipwrecked on his way home, and was taken 
prisoner whilst travelling through Germany in dis- 
guise. The Emperor, to whom he was given up, 
would not let him go without a large ransom. The 
temptation was too great for Philip, and he made 
friends with Eichard's traitor brother John, who was 
trying to get the crown of England for himself. Philip 
marched into Normandy; but before he could take 
Eouen, Eichard was free again, and eager for revenge. 
For the next five years, there was almost ceaseless 
war between the two kings. When Eichard died, and 
John succeeded him, Philip put aside his pretence of 
friendship, and did all he could to harm John. 

When the first kings of the house of Capet sat on 
the French throne, and the power of the king was 
very weak, the Norman and Angevin kings of England 
had been great and powerful rulers. But now, when 
there was a king on the French throne determined to 



52 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

increase his power, there was a feeble coward on the 
English throne, who could not defend his lands against 
his neighbour. 

Philip and Ingeborg. — When Eichard died, Philip 
was too full of his own affairs to take advantage 
at once of the weakness of John. He had married 
some years before a Danish princess, Ingeborg, but 
hardly had he seen her, when he was seized with a 
violent dislike for her. He persuaded the French 
bishops to allow him to divorce her, and he married 
another lady, Agnes of Meran, whom he dearly 
loved. But Ingeborg did not rest content, and asked 
the Pope to right her wrongs. The Pope, the same 
Innocent ill. with whom John, king of England, 
quarrelled, bade Philip take her back. When Philip 
refused, he laid France under an interdict, which 
means that all religious services were stopped in the 
land. Philip loved Agnes and hated Ingeborg, and 
for four years he refused to obey the Pope. Then he 
felt it was hopeless to resist any longer, for the whole 
country groaned under the interdict; he put away 
Agnes, who is said to have died of grief, and took 
back Ingeborg. 

Conquest of Normandy, 1204. — At peace with 
the Pope, Philip was able to turn against John, who by 
his wickedness and folly made himself hated by all. 
Arthur, the son of John's elder brother, was the law- 
ful heir to the Duchy of Normandy. But John had 
seized him, and caused him to be secretly put to death. 
When every one was horror-struck at this cruel deed, 
Philip invaded Normandy. One after another its 
strong towns were taken, and then Philip went on to 
conquer some of the other lands held by the kings of 



PHILIP A UG USTUS 53 

England in France, Touraine, Anjou, part of Poitou, 
and Maine. John did nothing to defend his posses- 
sions, and they easily fell into Philip's hands. 

Battle of Bouvines, 1214. — Some years after- 
wards John tried to revenge himself on Philip, by per- 
suading the Emperor and the Count of Flanders to 
make war on him. But Philip gained a great victory 
over their troops at Bouvines in Flanders. In this 
battle it was seen what good soldiers the men of 
the towns made; it was to them rather than to the 
knights that Philip owed his victory. 

It seemed at one time as if Philip would win England 
itself from the hands of John. For the English barons, 
disgusted with the faithlessness of John, who would not 
keep his promise to observe the Great Charter, invited 
Philip's son Louis to come and be their king. But 
as John died soon after, the English preferred to have 
as their king his son Henry, and Louis returned to 
France. 

Albigensian war. — Most of the north of France 
had been added by Philip to the royal domains. The 
feudal lords, who v/ere still so powerful as to be almost 
independent of the king, were the Counts of Flanders 
and Champagne, the Duke of Brittany, and the princes 
of Southern France, chief amongst whom was the Count 
of Toulouse. The south of France was very different 
from the north. The influence of Eome had been 
strong there, and its people were much more polished 
and refined than their northern neighbours. They 
loved poetry and song, and the courts of the barons 
were thronged with poets and musicians. It was in 
these lands that certain religious beliefs hateful to true 
Catholics sprang up. The followers of this new religion 



54 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

were called Albigen.sians, because most of them lived 
round the town of Albi. We do not know exactly 
what their opinions were, and they seem to have been 
good, simple people, who led a quiet life and only asked 
to be let alone. But in those days men still thought 
that it was possible to force every one to hold the same 
beliefs, and they thought it wrong to suffer any one to 
hold beliefs different from those of the Church. Eay- 
mond, Count of Toulouse, was blamed for leaving his 
Albigensian subjects in peace, and the Pope sent a 
legate to Toulouse to put down and excommunicate the 
heretics. Eaymond, in his anger at this interference, 
longed to be revenged on the legate. Three of his 
followers, thinking to please him, pursued and slew 
the legate. 

The Crusade against the Albigensians, 1208- 
1223. — Then the Pope called upon France to punish 
this crime, and a Crusade was preached against Eay- 
mond and the Albigensians. Many were glad to join 
this Crusade, some from real religious zeal against what 
they considered the terrible sin of heresy, others from 
love of adventure and a desire for the spoils of the rich 
lands of the south. The men of the north looked upon 
it as an opportunity to conquer the south. The leader 
of the Crusade was Simon de Montfort, a man fierce in 
his zeal for religion. He was the father of the Simon 
de Montfort who played such an important part in 
English history. The war was carried on with terrible 
cruelty. The town of B6ziers, where many Albigen- 
sians were gathered, was besieged ; the Crusaders offered 
to spare it, if all the heretics named in a list they had 
made, were given up. This offer was indignantly 
refused. Then the walls were stormed, and all the 



i 




, Gr&erv & CcZondyon .^eiw York & Bombay. 




Cr eighiaris Fraruie' ,-p.54. 



Lon0i^vcmj& , GreervJe Co. .Lortdxnx .If^ew York & Bomhouy. 



PHILIP AUGUSTUS 55 

inhabitants, men. women, and little children, were put 
to death. When some one asked if the Catholics at 
least should not be spared, ' Kill them all,' was the 
fierce answer, ' for God knows his own.' Town after 
town, and castle after castle, was taken. 

St. Dominic. — Amongst those who helped most 
to root out the Albigensian heresy was Dominic, a 
Spaniard, one of the greatest preachers who have ever 
been. His followers were called the Dominican friars. 
They did not live in convents, like monks, but 
wandered about to preach and teach. By Dominic's 
advice the Pope founded the Inquisition, a means of 
inquiry into the character of suspected heretics. Those 
who were thought to be heretics themselves, or to 
befriend heretics, were brought up before the judges of 
the Inquisition ; sometimes they were tortured to make 
them confess. Those who confessed were ordered 
penances of different kinds — some to go as pilgrims to 
the Holy Land, some to wear crosses of yellow cloth as 
a sign of their guilt. Those who would not confess 
were kept in prison or burnt at the stake. 

Thus, either by the sword of the Crusaders, or the 
terrors of the Inquisition, the heretics were gradually 
rooted out. Simon de Montfort was made Count of 
Toulouse, in place of Eaymond. But Simon was killed 
when besieging Toulouse, by a stone thrown by a woman 
on the walls, which struck him in the breast. Then 
the son of Simon and the son of Eaymond fought 
together for Toulouse. 

Philip Augustus had taken no part himself in the 
Crusade against the Albigensians, though he had not 
prevented his barons from joining it. Neither would 
he help the young Montfort to make himself Count 



56 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

of Toulouse. He was glad to see the power of the 
great lords of the south broken by these troubles, so 
that in time to come it would be easier to add their 
lands to the royal lands. 

Government of Philip Augustus. — All his 
reign Philip worked to bring order into the govern- 
ment of the land. The king's court in his day began 
to be called parlemenf. We must not confuse it with 
our Parliament. It was a court of law, in which sat 
the nobles who were the chief advisers of the king, and 
the men, chiefly clergy, who were learned in the laws. 
Here the disputes between the barons, and their claims 
against the king, were discussed and settled. Over the 
royal domains Philip placed haillis, and under them 
provosts, men to judge cases and see that the laws were 
kept, and collect the taxes for the king. The baillis 
had to bring up their accounts to the parlement. The 
royal lands were well governed, and the towns on them 
prospered ; the King was willing to grant them privi- 
leges in return for the money they gave him. 

Paris. — Philip did a great deal to improve Paris. 
In his reign the streets, till then deep in black mud and 
filth, were paved, and he surrounded the city with a 
wall, flanked with towers. The building of the great 
cathedral of Notre Dame was begun ; it is amongst the 
earliest of the cathedrals of France in which pointed 
arches are used, instead of round. Markets were 
built for the convenience of traders, as well as hospitals 
for the sick, and pure water was brought to the city. 
The University of Paris became the great centre of 
learning, where wise men taught the students, some 
of whom came begging their way, from all parts of 
Europe. 



PHILIP AUGUSTUS 



57 



Death of Philip Augustus, 1223.— Philip died 
at the age- of fifty-nine. He had more than doubled 
the domains of the kings of France, and added im- 
mensely to the royal power and to the consideration 
in which the king was held at home and abroad. 




CHAPTER YIIl 

ST. LOUIS 

Louis VIII., 1223-1226.— Philip Augustus was 
sacceeded by his son Louis Viii., who was a much weaker 
man than his father. But Louis had a wife, Blanche 
of Castille, full of the strength and energy which he 
lacked, and she urged him on to activity. In his short 
reign of three years he had two wars, one against 
Henry ill. of England, when he won from him La 
Eochelle and the Limousin, and the other to help the 
Count de Montfort in the south. Here he won several 
cities, amongst others Avignon after a long siege. 
During the siege fever attacked his troops ; he himself 
caught the fever and died soon afterwards, having con- 
tinued, in his short reign, his father's work of adding 
to the royal lands. 

Regency of Blanche of Castille, 1226-1236. 
— The new king, Louis ix., was only ten years old at 
his father's death. His mother, Blanche of Castille, 
claimed to be regent, till he was old enough to rule 
himself. The great vassals thought that they would be 
able to do as they liked under the rule of a child and a 
woman. The Queen was a Spaniard, and had neither 
relations nor friends in France. The people of Paris, 
however, stood by her, and, when it seemed as if her 
child would be taken from her by force, the citizens 

58 



ST. LOUIS 



59 



came to fetch him safely to Paris, lining the roads with 
their armed men, who called upon God to grant him a 
long and good life, and save him from his enemies. 
Blanche won over some of her enemies to her side, and 
made the Count of Provence her friend by marrying 
Louis and his brother Charles to his two daughters ; and 
in this way the strength of her enemies was broken. 



^>-. 




THIRTEENTH CENTTTRY FALCONERS. 



Education of Louis IX. — Blanche brought up 
her son strictly and well. She gave him masters to 
teach him all the learning of the day, and they were 
bidden to keep him in due discipline and not to spare 
the rod. She made him an earnest Christian and a 
true knight, and taught him to think highly of his 
duties as a king. So well did Louis carry out her 
lessons, that he was an example of what a king should 
be, and his holiness won him the name of Saint, so that 



6o A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

he has ever since been known as St. Louis. His father 
and his grandfather had added greatly to the royal 
power ; St. Louis wished to add to the wellbeing of 
his people, whom he loved, and to make peace instead 
of violence, reign in his lands. 

Majority of St. Louis, 1236. — Blanche loved her 
son fondly, and he returned her love, and was willing 
to be directed by her in every way. Whilst she really 
managed the affairs of the kingdom, she kept herself 
in the background, and made it seem as if all was the 
doing of the boy-king. At the age of nineteen he was 
considered to have attained his majority. He was 
gentle and delicate-looking, and his manners were a 
great contrast to those of the rough warriors of the 
time. 

He early showed his love of fair play. The Pope 
had quarrelled with the Emperor Frederic ii., and 
offered to crown Louis's brother emperor in his stead. 
But Louis refused. He said that the Pope had no right 
to depose the Emperor and to call him guilty of crimes 
which had not been proved. 

Louis had no wish to gain anything for himself ex- 
cept by perfect fairness. He was forced to make war 
on Henry in. of England, who joined himself to the 
discontented French barons. Louis twice defeated 
Henry in., and might, perhaps, have won Aquitaine 
from him. But he treated his defeated enemy gently. 
He settled the boundary between the English and 
French lands, and made the barons of the south choose 
to which of the two kings they would pay homage, so 
that there might be no more disputes. 

First Crusade of St. Louis, 1248-1254.— 
During a serious illness which attacked St. Louis, he 



ST. LOUIS 6i 

vowed that, if he recovered, he would go on a Crusade 
to the Holy Land. His mother and his other advisers 
tried to persuade him that a king had other work to do ; 
but he was determined to go. He left his mother to 
govern in his absence. Amongst his companions on 
the Crusade was the Sire of Joinville, who wrote an 
account of it, and who is one of the best of the early 
French historians. Louis tried to get all his bravest 
knights to go with him. One evening the lights in the 
room, where he was sitting with his court, were sud- 
denly put out, and when they were lit again, it was 
found that every one had a cross sewed on his shoulder. 
Thus many knights were made Crusaders against their 
will. 

Louis sailed first to the island of Cyprus, where large 
stores of all things needed for the war were gathered. 
It was decided to attack the Moslems, not in the Holy 
Land itself, but in Egypt, the centre of their power. 
Damietta was then the chief port at the mouth of the 
Nile, and thither Louis sailed. The Sultan's troops 
were drawn up on the shore, to prevent the landing of 
the French. Jumping up to their waists into the sea, 
the French knights rushed upon the enemy with such 
fury, that they soon fled in terror. Damietta, full of 
rich stores of every kind, fell into the hands of the 
Christians. But then it was seen that Louis, though a 
brave knight, was not a clever general. If he had pressed 
on at once, he might have easily taken Cairo, for the 
Moslems were terror-struck. But he delayed some 
months, and then, leaving his Queen in Damietta, he 
set out to take Mansourah, a little town on the way to 
Cairo. The king's brother, Eobert, dashing forwards 
with his men in front of the main army, was surrounded 



62 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

and killed, to the bitter grief of the king. Louis again 
delayed ; it was Lent, and he thought it right to wait 
quietly till the holy season had passed. Meanwhile 
fever, want of food, and the constant attacks of the 
Moslem, destroyed numbers of his men. At last, he 
was forced to order a retreat to Damietta. But, on the 
way, once more the army was furiously attacked by the 
enemy. The king, weak from sickness, and all his 
principal knights, were taken prisoners, and the Moslems 
cruelly slew all those who, they thought, were too poor 
to be able to pay a ransom. 

St. Louis a Prisoner. — St. Louis bore his cap- 
tivity with Christian patience, and felt no fear at the 
threats of his captors. At last he concluded a truce 
with the Sultan for ten years, and promised to give up 
Damietta and pay a large ransom, in return for which 
the Sultan promised to set free all the Christian 
prisoners in his hands. 

Meanwhile the queen at Damietta had gone through 
a time of terrible anxiety, in the midst of which a son 
was born to her, whom she called John Tristan, or the 
Sad, because his birth fell in such evil days. When 
the knights, who were with her, wished to leave the 
town, she gathered them all around her and persuaded 
them to remain firm. 

Damietta had to be given up. The king and queen, 
with some faithful knights, sailed to Acre, one of the 
few Christian cities left in Palestine. The rest of the 
French returned home. 

Crusade of the Pastoureaux. — In France there 
had been great dismay at the king's captivity. His 
misfortunes only made him dearer to his people. The 
poorest were eager to help him, and an ignorant crowd 



ST. LOUIS 



63 



of serfs and shepherds gathered to go and deliver 
their king. This gathering was called the Crusade of 
the Pastoureaux, or shepherds. But they had no one 




LOTJis IX. (Engraved on a gem about 13] 4.) 

to lead them. They wandered about as an idle rabble, 
and at last took to plundering. Then the Queen 
Eegent took steps to' have them put down, and many 
were slain. 

The regent v/rote to St. Louis in the Holy Land, 



64 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

begging him to return to Fmnce ; but he felt that if he 
turned his back on the East, all the Christians left 
there would perish. He sent his two brothers home, as 
they had vexed him by their idle ways and love of 
gambling. He himself stayed on for three years with 
his queen, Joinville, and a few faithful followers. He 
A-isited in turn the Christian ports in Palestine, and 
rebuilt their walls. But most of all he laboured to 
free those Christians who were kept as slaves by the 
Moslem. Wherever he could find them, he bought 
their freedom. 

St. Louis returns to France, 1254.— But at 
last he heard that his mother was dead. Then he 
hastened home to take her place in governing France. 
He returned to Paris, very sad at the evil done to the 
Christian cause by the failure of his Crusade. 

Government of St. Louis. — During the next 
fifteen years of his life St. Louis was busy with the 
care of his people. He loved peace, and carefully 
settled all disputed questions with his neighbours, the 
kings of Ai-agon and England, so that he might do 
away with all reason for war. Some of his nobles 
complained that he was too generous in his treaties 
with Henry in. of England, but he answered that he 
had done as he did, so that there might be love 
between his children and those of Henry in. 

Louis wished that justice should be done in all 
things. Before his days, men had very commonly 
settled their quarrels by fighting. The idea had been, 
that God would give victory to the right ; but the 
weak had suffered, and the strong had triumphed. 
St. Louis put an end to these combats, and made all 
men come to be tried in his courts. There equal 



ST. LOUIS 65 

justice was given to all, whether rich or poor, strong 
or weak. 

Three boys, who were studying in a convent, had 
wandered into a neighbouring wood and amused 
themselves by shooting rabbits, with their bows and 
arrows. They were caught doing this by the men in 
charge of the wood, who took them to their master, the 
Sire de Coucy, a rich and powerful baron. He was 
cruel and without pity, and ordered the boys to be 
hung on a tree at once. When the abbot of the con- 
vent knew what had happened, he complained to the 
king, and Louis summoned the Sire de Coucy to appear 
before his court. The Sire de Coucy begged all his 
friends to come to the court and stand by him. Louis 
was very angry, and" said that he had made up his 
mind that Coucy should die. At last he yielded to the 
humble prayers of the barons, and spared his life on 
condition that he paid a large fine and founded two 
chapels, where prayers should be offered daily for the 
souls of the three children. Thus the fierce barons were 
taught that, even on their own lands, they might not 
ill-use the weak and the helpless at their pleasure. It 
was thought a wonderful thing that so great a baron, 
accused only by poor people, should hardly escape with 
his life from the justice of the king. 

Since questions were now to be decided in the king's 
court in accordance with the laws, Louis found that 
those who had carefully studied the laws were more 
helpful than the great lords; he therefore invited 
lawyers to sit in his court. At first the barons treated 
them with contempt, and made them sit on stools at 
their feet. But the learning and wisdom of the 
lawyers soon gave them the lead in the court. Louis 

E 



66 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

loved to hear the complaints of his people, and settle 
their quarrels. Often, when he was at the Castle of 
Varennes, he would go, after mass, and sit under an 
oak with his courtiers round him, and then any who 
liked might come to him and bring questions to be 
settled. In the same way, he would also sit some- 
times in his garden in Paris, on a carpet spread 
upon the ground, and listen to all who came. The 
fame of his justice spread far, and he was asked 
to settle the quarrel between Henry iii. of England 
and his barons. But lover of justice though he was, 
he could not understand the state of a country where 
he had never been, and his decision did not bring 
peace to England. 

Second Crusade of St. Louis, 1270.— The 
dearest wish of St. Louis was to go once more on a 
Crusade. He asked Edward of England, who was 
afterwards Edward i., to go with him, that with his 
help he might triumph over the infidels. When 
Edward said that he had not money enough for so 
great an undertaking, Louis offered to lend him what 
was wanted. Louis was eager to have a companion 
who was both strong in body and upright in mind; 
so, having got his father's permission, Edward made 
ready to join the Crusade. 

Louis's best advisers were against the Crusade. 
Joinville refused to go with him, and said that all who 
advised the Crusade were guilty of mortal sin, since 
whilst Louis was at home all the kingdom was at peace, 
both within and without. Besides, the king was in 
such weak health, that he could not even sit on horse- 
back. Joinville had to carry him in his arms from one 
house to another the day on which he bade him 



ST. LOUIS 67 

farewell. Yet he sadly adds in his History : * If he had 
stayed in France, he might have lived some time, and 
done many good works.' 

Louis insisted on going. This time he intended to 
attack the Moslem in Tunis, probably at the wish of 
his brother, Charles of Anjou. Charles had been made 
king of the Two Sicilies by the Pope, and the Moslem 
of Tunis, with their pirate boats, were troublesome 
neighbours to him. Louis reached Africa first, and 
awaited before Tunis the arrival of his brother Charles. 
There also he was joined by Edward of England. But 
the hot sun of Africa was too much for his feeble 
strength. When he felt that his end was near, he caused 
himself to be laid upon a bed of cinders. As long as 
he could speak, he did not cease to pray day and night, 
especially for those who were with him in such dangers. 
When his voice could not be heard, his lips still moved, 
and sometimes he opened his eyes, and looking sweetly 
on those around him, made the sign of the cross ; and 
so his spirit passed away. 

Character of Louis IX. and his times. — 
No king was ever a better man or a truer Christian 
than St. Louis. In all that he did, his object was to do 
what was pleasing to God, and good for his people. 
He was always gentle in his ways, and reproved those 
who had done wrong with soft words ; he knew how to 
make everything he had to say amiable. He was never 
heard to say evil of others. He cared for the sick 
and the poor, caused hospitals to be built, and visited 
them himself. He used to feel the pulses of the 
patients, ask questions about their illness, and ad- 
vise how they should be treated. He tried to bring 
up his children well; and at night he would gather 



68 



A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 



them around him, and tell them tales about the good 
kings and emperors of the past, whom they might take 
as examples. St. Louis is the hero of the middle ages, — • 
the name given to the period which lies between ancient 
and modern history, when the nations of Europe were 
being formed. The thirteenth century, in which he 
lived, was the time when the art and the learning of 




BELLMAN, END OF THIRTEENTH CENTURY. 

the middle ages flourished most. Then were built the 
most beautiful cathedrals of France — Eheims, Amiens, 
Chartres, and others, grander even than our beautiful 
cathedrals. They were adorned with figures of saints 
and great men carved in stone, and with magnificent 
windows of painted glass. The art of painting flourished 
too, and the books of prayers and poems were adorned 
with lovely and delicate pictures. In Paris, Louis 
built a fair chapel, called the Sainte Chapelle, to 
hold the crown of thorns, said to have been worn by 
the Saviour, which was sent him from the East. With 



ST. LOUIS 69 

his consent, his confessor, Robert de Sorbon, built a 
college, near the University, for poor students, which 
was called after him, the Sorbonne. Louis loved 
learning, and encouraged it in every possible way. 
One of the most famous of early French poems, 
the Romance of the Rose, was written in his day. It 
was translated a hundred years afterwards into English 
by Chaucer. 

Not only in France, but in all Europe, Louis was 
honoured, and even the Arab historians praise him, 
and speak of his intelligence, firmness, and piety. In 
1297 the Church put his name upon the list of her 
saints. 



CHAPTER IX 

THE FLEMISH WARS 

Philip III., the Bold, 1270-1285.— St. Louis 
was succeeded by his son Philip, who became king 
under the walls of Tunis, whither he had accompanied 
his father. Philip, after making a treaty with the 
king of Tunis, returned home, taking with him the 
bodies of his father and his brother, John Tristan, who 
had also died of fever. This Crusade to Tunis was the 
last ever undertaken by Christian knights. After this, 
the different nations of Europe were too much occupied 
with their own affairs, and with their quarrels with 
one another, to unite together against the Moslem. 

Whilst Philip was on his way home, his wife, who 
was "vvith him, died of a fall from her horse. Philip's 
iirst duty on reaching Paris, was to bury his dead in 
the Abbey of St. Denis, the burial-place of the kings 
of France. About the same time Philip's uncle 
Alphonse died. He had married the daughter and 
heiress of the Count of Toulouse, and as he left no heir, 
their lands, the provinces of Poitiers and Toulouse, 
passed to King Philip ill. Alphonse had ruled Toulouse 
wisely, and thus helped to bring the north and south 
of France peaceably together. 

The Sicilian Vesper, 1282. — We do not know 

70 



THE FLEMISH WARS 71 

much about the way in which Philip ill. governed. 
The monkish writers praise him for his piety, and 
France enjoyed peace at home during his days. The 
knights, who wanted adventures, followed the fortunes 
of Philip's uncle Charles, Duke of Anjou, to whom the 
Pope had given the kingdoms of Naples and Sicily. 
Charles was a hard, cruel man, and the Sicilians hated 
him. A plot was made against the French, and on 
Easter Day 1282, as the bells were ringing for vespers, 
the Sicilians rose and massacred every French man, 
woman, or child. Then they invited Peter in., king 
of Aragon, one of the Spanish kingdoms, to come and 
rule over them. 

When the French heard of the Sicilian Vesper, as 
this terrible massacre was called, they thirsted for 
revenge. The French nobles hastened to help Charles 
of Anjou to recover Sicily, and punish the rebels. But 
it was in vain. Sicily was lost to the French; and 
Charles died soon afterwards in rage and despair. 

Meanwhile Philip in., who considered his uncle's 
cause as his own, had gathered a great army, and 
marched southwards to punish Peter of Aragon. The 
fury of the French showed itself, in the cruelty with 
which they killed all the inhabitants of the first Spanish 
city which they took. But the Spaniards resisted the 
French so obstinately that, after some slight success, 
Philip III. was forced to lead his worn-out army back over 
the Pyrenees. He was himself taken ill with fever, 
and died in the first French city which he reached. 

Philip IV., the Fair, 1285-1314.— Philip iii. was 
succeeded by his son, whose good looks earned him his 
sui-name le Bel, or the Fair. Philip iv. was seventeen 
when he became king. He had been married for some 



72 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

years to Jeanne of Champagne, a great heiress. She 
had been taken, as a child of three, to the French 
court by her mother, on the death of her father, and 
had been brought up there. She was her father's only 
child, and heiress to all his lands, the kingdom of 
Navarre, which lay south of the Pyrenees, and the county 
of Champagne in the north-east of France. Philip iii. 
had been eager to secure these rich lands; but the 
Pope, fearful of the growing power of the French 
kings, refused to allow the marriage of Jeanne with 
Philip iil's eldest son, Louis, and she married his 
second son, Philip. Shortly afterwards Louis died ; and 
so the Pope's precaution was in vain. Champagne and 
Navarre were added to the royal lands, when Philip 
ascended the throne. 

Philip IV. 's Plans. — Philip the Fair did not care 
about the conquest of distant kingdoms like Naples and 
Sicily, but wished to be a strong king at home. He 
was a very clear-sighted man, cold and silent in his 
manner, who knew what he wanted, and meant to 
have his own way. He wished to add to his kingdom 
Flanders in the north, to win Guienne from the English 
in the south, and to move his border on the eastern side 
further back towards the Ehine ; then France would 
have the boundaries which nature seemed to have 
given her. Philip iv. wished to make France one, just 
as Edward I. of England wished to make England, 
Wales, and Scotland one. Both kings tried to do what 
was impossible in their own days ; but what they strove 
for came to pass in later days. 

Philip's efforts to win Guienne from the English 
king mark the beginning of the long struggle with 
England, which went on for more than a hundred 



THE FLEMISH WARS 73 

years. Philip made friends with Edward's enemies, the 
Scots ; and Edward I. made friends with Philip's enemy, 
Guy de Dampierre, Count of Flanders. The Pope, how- 
ever, persuaded the two kings to make a truce; and 
Edward i.'s son, who afterwards became King Edward 
II., married Philip's daughter Isabel. Free from all 
fear of the English, Philip turned to attack Flanders. 

War ^with Flanders, 1298. — ^Flanders was full 
of towns, which had grown rich and prosperous by the 
industry of their citizens. There the wool, grown on 
the backs of English sheep, was woven into cloth ; and 
merchants from all parts of the world met to exchange 
their goods in the markets of Flanders. These cities 
had won the right of managing their own affairs, but 
they looked up to the Count of Flanders as their 
suzerain lord. They did not care enough for him, 
however, to fight for him ; and without the help of the 
king of England he could not stand against Philip iv., 
so he thought it best to give himself up as his 
prisoner. 

Then Philip IV. went to take possession of the lands 
of his prisoner. The Queen went with him ; and they 
were amazed and delighted at the sight of the riches of 
the cities. When the Queen saw the Flemish women, 
in gowns richly embroidered with gold and silver, she 
exclaimed with disgust, 'I thought I was the only 
queen of France, and here I see more than six hundred 
queens.' Unfortunately, Philip set up a man to govern 
Flanders who, greedy of gain and power, did not under- 
stand the independent spirit of the Flemish cities. 
When he tried to take away some of their privileges, 
the burghers revolted and massacred the French 
soldiers. Their leader was Peter Koenig, a weaver, 



74 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

who led his followers to free one town after another 
from the French. 

Battle of Courtray, 1302.— Eobert Count of 
Artois got an army of knights together, and marched 
to punish the rebellious citizens, who were gathered at 
Courtray. The proud knights despised their enemy, 
since they were only fullers, weavers, and artisans of all 
kinds, and dashed upon them with thoughtless haste. 
The citizens had protected their camp with a deep 
ditch. Into this the knights fell ; and the heavy 
armour Avith which they and their horses were covered, 
prevented them from rising; so that they struggled 
helplessly in the ditch, whilst the citizens like tigers 
dashed upon them, sparing no one in their fury. There 
was slain Robert of Artois himself, and many of the 
flower of the French nobility. A second army sent by 
the king against the Flemings was forced to retire. 
All the chief towns of Flanders combined in a league, 
and determined not to give in to the French. 

Battle of Mons-en-Puelle. — Philip himself was 
busy with other matters ; and it was not till some time 
afterwards that he was able to lead an army him- 
self against the Flemings. He met them at Mons-en- 
Puelle, and in the furious battle that followed, the French 
fled, and Philip was left alone fighting desperately, with 
only ten men round him ; his horse was killed under 
him, and his life was in the greatest danger ; but when 
those who had fled saw that the king's standard still 
stood erect, they turned and drove back the Flemings. 

This defeat did not crush the Flemings. The weavers 
left their looms, and the traders their business, to take 
up arms. They bound themselves by oath not to see 
their homes again till they gained a good peace or won 



THE FLEMISH WARS 75 

a victory. ' Better,' they said, ' to die in battle than 
to live in slavery.' 

Philip was amazed to see another army gathered 
together against him in three vreeks. ' I thought,' he 
cried, ' that I had destroyed them all, and see, they fall 
from the sky.' He judged it wiser to make peace with 
them, and gave them once more a Count of their own, 
the son of their last Count. 

The Maltote. — The wars with Flanders had cost 
a great deal, and Philip IV. found himself in great need 
of money. In former days, when the lands of the French 
kings were small, there had been no need to raise great 
sums of money. When the kings went to war, their 
vassals had to follow at their own expense. Now all was 
changed. The kings ruled over wide lands ; they had to 
pay the baillis and pr6vosts, who ruled under them and 
kept order. The vassals and their followers no longer 
sufficed for wars which were carried on at greater dis- 
tances and for longer times. The king had to hire other 
soldiers, who were called mercenaries, because they 
fought for pay. Philip iv. had to find out all kinds of 
ways to get monej^ He made every one who did not 
follow him to war, pay a tax for the expenses of the 
war. It was the first time that all the people had been 
taxed, and there were loudly raised murmurs. The tax 
was called the maltote^ the bad tax, because men thought 
it unjust, and protested against it. The Pope forbade 
the clergy to pay it, and this was the beginning of 
a long quarrel between him and the king. 



CHAPTER X 

PHILIP IV. AND BONIFACE VIII. 

The Jubilee^ 1300.— The Pope in the days of 
Philip IV. was Boniface Viii., a man eager for power, 
who wished to make the princes of Europe feel that he 
was their superior. In the year 1300 he proclaimed a 
year of jubilee, and said that once in every hundred 
years, remissions of penance should be given to those 
who made a pilgrimage to "Rome. More than 100,000 
pilgrims are said to have flocked to Rome, and filled the 
treasuries of the Pope with their rich offerings. Boniface 
felt as if there was no end to his power. He interfered 
with Philip IV. because he had seized and imprisoned a 
French bishop, and he sent Philip a long letter, or Bull, 
in which he pointed out all his faults, and blamed him 
for his way of governing, and for his taxes. Philip's 
chief advisers were lawyers, for the lawyers had grown 
to be a very important body. They tried in every way 
to serve the king and to add to his power, and now they 
advised him to resist the Pope's interference. 

The Estates-General, 1302. — In the struggle 
with the Pope, Philip and his advisers felt that they 
must try to get the people on their side. They decided 
to call together representatives of the people, to whom 
the king might tell the story of his wrongs. They 
summoned men from each of the three estates of the 
u 



PHILIP IV. AND BONIFACE VIII. 77 




THE THREE ESTATES. {Ftom a tMHeenth-century MissaZ.) 



78 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

people — the clergy, the lords, and the commons — and 
therefore their meeting was called the Estates-General. 
There had been no such gathering of representatives of 
the .whole people since the days of the Carolingian 
kings. Even now the people did not care for the oppor- 
tunity given them. The history of England is the his- 
tory of the long struggle of the people to win the right 
of governing themselves. We find nothing like this in 
French history ; the people did not care about national 
affairs, and it was long before the love of liberty 
awoke amongst them. 

The King's chancellor gave to the Estates his account 
of the Pope's conduct. The barons and the men of the 
third estate loudly expressed their indignation. The 
clergy had a more difficult part to play, for they had to 
try and please both Pope and king. 

When the Pope heard what Philip was doing, he 
threatened to excommunicate him. Then Philip called 
the Estates together again, and this time they were 
persuaded to say that Boniface Viii. ought no longer to 
be Pope, and that a general council, chosen from all 
Christendom, must meet to elect a new Pope. The 
Chancellor, William of Nogaret, was sent to Italy to tell 
Boniface what Philip and his Estates had decided. 

The Death, of Boniface VIII., 1303=— Nogaret 
made friends with the Pope's enemies, and chiefly with 
Sciarra Colonna, the head of a great Eoman family 
which the Pope had banished. Colonna, followed by 
300 horsemen and many foot-soldiers, joined Nogaret, 
and they entered Anagni, a little town in the moun- 
tains near Eome, where the Pope was staying. They 
forced their way roughly into the presence of the Pope. 
Boniface was an old man of eighty-four, and when he 



PHILIP IV. AND BONIFACE VIII. 79 

heard the soldiers cry outside his palace, ' Death to the 
Pope ! ' he thought his last hour was come. Seated on 
his throne in all his robes, with a cross in his hand, he 
waited for his murderers. Nogaret and Colonna called 
upon him to say that he was willing to be Pope no 
longer. But he answered bravely, ' Here is my neck ; 
if I must die like Jesus Christ, I will at least die Pope.' 
Colonna is said to have torn him from his throne, and 
hit him in the face with his iron glove. He would 
have killed him, but Nogaret prevented it. They kept 
the Pope a prisoner, but a few days after the people of 
Anagni rose and saved him from their hands. The 
shock, however, to the old man had been too great, and 
he died of grief and anger. 

Shortly afterwards Philip IV. managed to get a Pope 
chosen who would be obedient to his will. This was a 
Frenchman, Clement v., who was willing to escape 
from the troubles of Rome and come and live at 
Avignon, in France, under the French king's protec- 
tion. There he, and the Popes after him, lived for over 
seventy years. This time at Avignon has been called 
the Babylonish captivity, because men thought that 
the Pope ought always to be in Eome. 

Other kings had been forced to yield in their struggles 
with the Popes. Philip's triumph added very much to 
the royal power in France. The lawyers helped the 
king to triumph over the Church and over the nobility. 
The nobles cared less and less about coming to sit in 
the Parlement, where everything was decided by the 
lawyers. The Parlement was divided into three cham- 
bers, where different causes were judged. All power 
centred round the king and his advisers, who were all 
lawyers. 



So A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

The Knights Templars.— Philip iv.'s chief diffi- 
culty was to get enough money. He arranged that those 
who did not follow him to his wars should give money, 
in proportion to their position, to provide soldiers. In 
his need of money his attention was directed to the great 
wealth said to be owned by the Knights Templars. 
This Avas an order of knights which had been founded 
to defend the Holy Land. Like monks, they vowed 
never to marry, and to give their lives to the service of 
God, but their object was to serve Him in battle against 
His enemies. There were very many of them, and they 
had orown very rich. As the Crusades were at an end, 
they had no special work to do, and men accused them 
of living wicked lives, given up to strange and sinful 
pleasures. We cannot now tell whether the charges 
against the Templars were true, but it suited Philip IV. 
to believe them. Early one October morning in the 
year 1307, all the Knights Templars in France were 
taken and cast into prison. Philip iv. seized their 
treasure, till the question of their guilt was settled. 
The Pope at first tried to speak up for them, but after 
a meeting with the king, he was obliged to give in and 
leave the Templars to their fate. They were kept two 
years in prison, and then brought to trial. They were 
tortured to make them confess, and pain forced many 
to confess crimes which they had never committed. 
Those who took back their confessions were condemned 
to death. The order was suppressed, and more than 
fifty of the knights were burnt. The Grand Master of 
the order, James de Morlay, was burnt, tied to the 
stake with another Templar, on a little island in the 
Seine. His brave death filled the people with admira- 
tion. It was commonly believed that he had prophesied 



PHILIP IV. AND BONIFACE VIIL 8i 

that the King would be summoned within the year 
before the judgment-seat of God. 

Death of Philip IV., 1314.— Philip iv. persecuted 
the heretics as well as the Templars. He was a pious 
man, who led a pure life, but his cruelty and harshness 
made his subjects hate him. Murmurs against his taxes 
rose louder and louder. The last year of his reign was 
full of trouble and discontent, and when he died his 
subjects did not mourn his loss. He had done much 
for the greatness of the royal power in France, and 
perhaps it was because of what he did, that the mon- 
archy did not quite disappear in the troublous years 
that were to come. 

Louis X., le Hutin, 1314-1316.— Philip the Fair 
was succeeded by his son, Louis x., the Hutin, or the 
Quarrelsome. This young prince was quite willing to 
be guided by his uncle, Charles of Valois. Charles had 
a bitter hatred against the lawyers, who had managed 
the affairs of the kingdom under Philip the Fair. He 
accused them of using the public moneys for their own 
gain ; they were cast down from their high places, and 
the chief minister was hanged. The nobles were set 
free from the strong government, which had forced them 
into obedience. But they soon showed how unworthy 
they were of power. They only wished to be left alone 
that they might please themselves, and had no thought 
for the public good. 

One good act dates from this reign. Louis x., like his 
father, was in sore need of money, and as a means to 
gain some, he ordered that all serfs on the royal domains 
should be allowed to buy their freedom. From this 
time serfdom gradually diminished in France. 

Louis X. died after only reigning a year and a half. 
P 



82 



A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 



He left only one daughter, known as Jeanne of France, 
but a few days after his death his queen gave birth to 
a boy, who lived only a few days. Ever since Hugh 
Capet became king of France, 
son had succeeded father on the 
throne. Now nien asked if a 
woman could sit on the throne 
of France. There was no one 
to defend the rights of the little 
Jeanne, who was only six years 
old, and her uncle Philip had 
himself named king. 

Philip v., le Long, 1316- 
1322. — Philip wished to make 
his right to the throne clear; 
so the lawyers discovered for 
him an old law of the Salian 
Franks, which said that a woman 
could not inherit their lands. 
They professed that this law 
ought to be applied to the crown 
of France, with which, of course, 
it had nothing tc do — ^indeed, it 
was not observed anywhere. 
Henceforth it was known as 
the Salic Law, according to 
which no woman might reign in 
France. 

Philip the Long was very like 
his father in his ideas of govern- 
ment. He called back the law- 
yers to power, and managed the finances of the land 
with care and severity. He did not live long, and left 




HEAD-DRESSES FROM A WINDOW^ 
FOURTEENTH CENTURY. 



PHILIP IV. AND BONIFACE VIIL 83 

only daughters, so that he was succeeded by his brother 
Charles. 

Charles IV., 1322-1328.— The short reign of 
Charles is marked by nothing of importance. He too 
died young, without sons. People looked upon the early 
death of Philip the Fair and his sons, as a punishment 
for the destruction of the Templars. With them ended 
the direct line of the House of Capet, which had done 
so much for France and produced so many great kings. 
Under them, the kingdom, which had been so small and 
weak at the beginning, grew to be one of the first 
kingdoms of Europe. 



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CHAPTER XI 



Philip VI. of Valois,! 1328-1350. — After the 
death of Charles iv., the French nobles met in Paris 
and decided that Philip of Valois should be king. He 
was grandson of Philip ill., the Bold, and cousin of the 
last three kings. All the other near relations of the 
royal family were women, except Edward ill., king of 
England, whose mother was Philip iv.'s daughter. 
At first Edward ill. made no objections to Philip of 
Valois being king, and did homage to him for his lands 
in France. But later on, as you will see, he said that 
he ought to be king of France himself 

Philip VI. and the Flemings. — The rich Flemish 
merchants had risen against their Count and driven him 
out of Flanders. He asked Philip vi. for help, and Philip 

1 Origin of the House of Valois. 

Philip III., 
1270-1285. 

I 



Philip IV., 1285-1314. Charles, Count 
I of Valois. 

Louis X., Isabella marries Philip v., Charles iv., Philip vi. 

1314-1316. Edward ii. of 1316-1322. 1322-1328. 

England. 
I 
Edward iii. of England, 

S5 



86 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

called his nobles together and marched against the 
Flemings. He defeated them in a bloody battle, after 
which they were forced to take back their Count again. 

As their Count was the friend of the French king, 
the Flemish merchants and weavers made friends with 
the English king. Their chief business was to weave 
cloth, and from England they got the wool from which 
to make their cloth. Wool was the great wealth of 
England, and it was very importiint for the English to 
find buyers for it. So it was natural that the English 
and the Flemings should be good friends. Flemish 
affairs became one of the many c^xuses for dispute be- 
tween Edward ill. and Philip vi. More and more the 
two kings came to look upon one another as foes. It 
seemed clear that war must soon break out, and each 
side began to prepare for it. Edward III. brought 
forward his claim to be king of France, thinking in 
this way to win over the discontented subjects of Philip, 
especially the Flemish merchants. At last, in 1337, 
the war broke out, which, with short interruptions, 
went on for more than a hundred years between France 
and England. 

Battle of Sluys, 1340.— Philip vi. hired some 
ships from the Genoese, so as to attack the English at 
sea. But they defeated his fleet in the battle of Sluys, 
and after this Philip did not try to do anything more 
on the sea. This battle was followed by a short truce, 
but soon a new cause of dispute arose. 

The War In Brittany. — The Duke of Brittany 
had died Avithout children, and his duchy was claimed 
by his niece Jeanne, and by his half-brother Jean de 
Montfort. Jeanne had married the Count of Blois, 
Philip Yi.'s nephew, so Philip took her part. Then Jean 



THE HUNDRED YEARS' WAR 87 

de Montfort went over to England and promised to look 
upon Edward III. as king of France, if Edward would 
help him to win Brittany. Edward gave him rich 
presents, and sent him away, promising to help him. 
During the war which followed in Brittany, Montfort 
was betrayed by the citizens of Nantes to the French, and 
taken prisoner to Paris. But this did not end the war. 
The Countess of Montfort had the courage of a man 
and the heart of a lion. She was at Yannes when she 
heard that her husband had been taken prisoner. 
Calling together all the soldiers who were there, she 
told them, with tears, of the treason of the men of 
Nantes, and she showed them her little son of seven 
years old, and said, ' Here is your lord,' and prayed 
them to fight well and loyally for him. With five 
hundred horsemen, she rode from castle to castle, en- 
couraging her friends, till help came from England. 
Then a truce was made between the two parties. 

The Gabelle. — Philip vi. was in want of money, 
and he made a new plan of raising it, which pressed 
very hardly on the poor. He ordered, that only the 
royal officers might buy salt from the makers. They 
then sold it again to the people at a very great profit. 
It was very hard on the poor, in those days, that salt 
should be dear, for all through the winter men had to 
live on salted meat and fish. The people sufi'ered 
terribly from this tax, which was called the Gabelle, 
but it brought the king a great deal of money, with 
which he raised a splendid army. 

The 'War with Edward III. — This great army 
was defeated by Edward iii. at the battle of Crecy 
(1346), about which you read in English history, and 
then, after a long siege, Edward took Calais. In Brittany 



88 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

Jean de Montfort's party triumphed and took Charles 
of Blois prisoner, so that everywhere things went badly 
for the French king, who was glad to make another 
truce with his enemies. 

The Black Death. — Then a trouble worse even 
than war came upon the people. A plague, called the 
Black Death, came from Italy first to the south of 
France, but soon spread over the whole country. 
There were as many as 800 deaths a day in Paris, 
and men said that a third of all the people in the world 
perished. Some said that the Jews were the cause of 
the plague, and turned on them and killed them in their 
fury. Others said that it came from God, as a punish- 
ment for the sins of the world. In truth, men cared 
little about the service of God, and spent their days in 
amusement and feasting. The Pope mth his court at 
Avignon set a very bad example, for he put his own 
pleasures before everything else ; and the chief clergy 
did as he did. Fortunately there were some poor 
monks, and friars, and nuns, who did their best to help 
the sick and needy, and teach them about God. 

Death of Philip VI., 1350.— Philip vi. did not 
stop his tournaments and his f^tes because his people 
were dying of the plague. He was a vain, silly man, 
and wasted in luxuries and pleasures the money his 
taxes brought in. When he died, he left the royal 
treasury empty. Though unsuccessful in Avar, he was 
clever enough to buy two new provinces for the French 
crown. These were Montpellier in the south, which 
he bought from a Spanish king ; and Vienne, which he 
bought from its ruler, the Dauphin of Vienne, who 
had decided to give up the world and become a friar. 
Philip VT. gave Vienne to his grandson, and it was 



THE HUNDRED YEARS' WAR 



89 



afterwards always given to the eldest son of the 
reigning king, who took the title of Dauphin, which its 
ruler had always borne. 

Jean le Bon, 1350-1364. — Philip vi. was suc- 
ceeded by his son John, who was called le Bon, not, as 
we should now translate the word, the Good, but 
rather the easy-going, or the good-natured. He was 
even more extravagant and foolish than his father, and 
quite unable to get his country out of its difficulties. 




SOLDIERS OF FOURTEENTH CENTDRT. 

{From La Sainte Chapelle, Paris.) 



The people suffered almost as much when there was 
a truce between France and England, as when there 
was war. In the war there had sprung up bands 
of soldiers, made up of men from different nations, 



90 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

who were willing to fight for any one who would hire 
them. These bands were called Free Companies. 
When they were not fighting, they wandered about the 
country plundering, a terror to the poor and unprotected. 

Charles the Bad, King of Navarre. — There 
was one of the great French lords, who hoped that in 
this disturbed time, he might manage to make himself 
a great man. This was Charles, king of Navarre, who 
was called the Bad, on account of his evil, restless life. 
He was the son of Louis x.'s daughter Jeanne, and 
sometimes hoped that he might even win the crown 
of France for himself. 

King John had a favourite, Charles de la Cerda, 
whom he loved more than any one else, and to whom 
he gave many rich presents. Amongst other things 
he gave him some lands, which ought to have belonged 
to Charles the Bad. Then Charles was very angry. 
Once when de la Cerda was passing the night in a little 
village in Normandy, some of Charles's servants fell 
upon him secretly, and killed him in his bedroom. 

John was bitterly grieved at his favourite's death, 
and soon guessed who had caused it. At first it 
seemed as if there would be a great war between him 
and Charles, but Charles felt he was not strong enough 
to stand against the king, and submitted for the time. 
But he began to plot secretly how to help the English 
to invade France once more. 

John captures Charles the Bad. — John was, as 
usual, in need of money to raise an army. He called to- 
gether the Estates-General, representatives of the clergy, 
the nobles, and the burgesses, and asked them to get 
him money. They gave him what he wanted, but they 
were bold enough to complain loudly of his bad govern- 



THE HUNDRED YEARS' WAR 91 

ment and waste of money. Once more the Gabelle, 
and a new tax, a hearth-tax, which each house had to 
pay, was levied. This caused great discontent, par- 
ticularly in Normandy, where the people were not yet 
accustomed to pay taxes to the king of France. 
Charles the Bad thought that the discontent in 
Normandy would help his plans. He went there with 
a Norman baron, the Count of Harcourt, who also 
hated the French king, to plan how they could get the 
English into Normandy. John's eldest son was Duke 
of Normandy, and was living at Eouen. The two 
traitors went to see him, and pretended to be very 
friendly, so that he suspected nothing. But King John 
had guessed their plans. He came suddenly to Eouen, 
and walked into the hall where the princes were at 
supper. As he mounted the steps of the dais he drew 
his sword, saying, 'Let no one move whatever he 
may see, unless he wishes to die by this sword.' 
When they rose and tried to greet him, he seized hold 
of the king of Navarre, crying, ' Come out, traitor, 
you are not worthy to sit at my son's table. I will 
neither drink nor eat whilst you live.' 

The traitors were seized by the king's followers. 
Harcourt was beheaded immediately. Charles of 
Navarre was taken to Paris and thrown into prison, 
where he was treated very badly, being constantly 
threatened with death. 

Captivity of King John, 1356. — News was 
brought to king John that the Black Prince had marched 
from Bordeaux into France, pillaging far and wide. 
John went after him with a splendid army, but though 
the Black Prince had only a small band of men, he 
utterly defeated the French king at the battle of 



92 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

Poitiers, and took him prisoner. John was taken to 
England; his eldest son, Charles, had fled from the 
battle-field at Poitiers to Paris. He found the city full of 
alarm and indignation because, in spite of all the money- 
wrung from the people, and the mighty army which 
had been raised, the king and nobles had dpne nothing 
to give the land peace. The people were full of anger 
against the knights and nobles. They saw them living 
lives of idleness and pleasure, given up to eating and 
drinking, following the most ridiculous fashions in 
dress, spending days and nights in games and sports. 
The money that the people had to pay in taxes was 
spent on these follies, and the nobles could not even 
fight to free the land from the English. A handful of 
English had scattered their great army at Poitiers. 
No words, said a song of the time, could paint the 
vileness of the traitors who had fled, whilst their king 
was taken prisoner. And now more money was to be 
wrung from the wretched peasants, to pay the ransoms 
of their lords, who had been taken prisoners. 

Etienne Marcel. — The Dauphin, who was only 
seventeen years old, a youth of feeble health and little 
courage, had a difiicult task before him. He called the 
Estates-General together and found that the third 
estate, the citizens of the towns, came in great numbers, 
determined to put a stop to the evil state of affairs. 
They were led by Etienne Marcel, the Provost of the 
Merchants of Paris , and he was aided by Robert 
Lecoq, bishop of Laon, a man who had private causes 
for hating the king, and who was an old ally of the 
king of Navarre. Marcel hoped that, now that the 
royal power was so low, he might win more privileges 
for Paris, and more power for the Estates-General ; so 



THE HUNDRED YEARS' WAR 93 

that they might be able to prevent the waste of money 
and the bad government of the last years. At first 
the Dauphin could not make up his mind to agree to 
the demands, which were made to him by Marcel and 
Lecoq, in the name of the Estates. He left Paris, hoping 
to find other ways of getting out of his difficulties. 
But as he could get no help elsewhere, he was forced 
to return to Paris, where he found Marcel more deter- 
mined than ever. 

There were many consultations between the Dauphin 
and Marcel's party. Lecoq spoke — preached they called 
it then — to the Estates, telling them how in the past 
the king and the kingdom had been badly governed, 
and how the people would not suffer these things any 
longer. He named twenty-two of the counsellors of 
the king whom the Dauphin must send away, and 
proposed a long list of reforms. If the Dauphin agreed 
to these demands, then money should be granted him 
to raise a new army. 

Charles of Navarre freed from Prison. — The 
Dauphin was forced to agree, though he received 
orders from his father not to consent to the demands of 
the Estates. A truce of two years was at the same 
time concluded with England. Lecoq wished to set 
free the king of Navarre, and at last succeeded in 
gaining over the governor of the castle, where he was 
imprisoned, and having him let out. He came at once 
to Paris, and, gathering round him an immense crowd, 
spoke to them of his wrongs, and of his wishes for the 
good of the country. 

Marcel tried to make peace between the Dauphin 
and Charles the Bad ; but though they met and made 
promises to one another, there could be no friendship 



94 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

between them. The Dauphin would not give up the 
lands and castles which Charles the Bad claimed, so 
Charles used the Free Companies to help him. He 
got them to settle round Paris, and on the borders of 
Normandy, so that people lived in terror, and could not 
travel without a safe-conduct. 

Violence of Etienne Marcel, 1358.— The 
Dauphin, as time went on, had begun to pay little 
heed to the promises which he had made to the 
Estates ; and Marcel determined to teach him a lesson. 
With some of his followers he went into the Dauphin's 
room, and there some of his company seized the 
Dauphin's two chief advisers and killed them in his 
presence, so that his clothes were bespattered with 
their blood. The other servants of the Dauphin fled, 
and he turned in terror to Marcel, asking him to save 
his life. Marcel told him he need not fear, and gave 
him his cap of red and blue, the colours of Paris, to 
wear, whilst he himself put on the Dauphin's cap. All 
day the bodies of the murdered men lay on the steps, 
and no one dared move them. Marcel sent to the 
Dauphin a roll of red and blue cloth, that he and his 
servants might be clothed in the colours of Paris. 

It seemed as if the Dauphin was quite in Marcel's 
power. He had to make friends with Charles of 
Navarre, who came to Paris, and do just as he was 
told. But as soon as possible, he escaped secretly from 
Paris, and, when he had got to a safe place, prepared to 
resist Marcel and the citizens of Paris. Then Marcel, who 
had already done much to fortify Paris, set to work to 
add new towers and walls, and have great ditches dug 
round the city, to make it safe against attack. Just when 
France most needed peace it was divided against itself. 



THE HUNDRED YEARS' WAR 95 

At first Marcel had seemed to be the friend of the people, 
but he and his party in Paris had been too selfish in 
their aims, and had disgusted the rest of France ; so it 
became easier for the Dauphin to get a party round him. 

The Jacquerie, — The misery of the country 
was terrible. The soldiers of the Free Companies 
alone grew rich by plundering. Many villages, which 
were not fortified, turned their churches into forts. 
Sentinels watched all night on the tower, and if they 
saw a robber band drawing near, they warned the 
people by sounding trumpets and ringing the bells. 
Then all the peasants hastened to take refuge in the 
church. The vineyards and the fields were not culti- 
vated j on all sides blackened, smoking ruins could be 
seen. Yet, all the same, the heavy hand of the nobles 
tried to get money out of the peasants. 

At last, in their despair, the peasants rose. They 
formed themselves into bands, and went about plunder- 
ing and burning the castles of the nobles. The peasant 
was commonly called Jacques Bonhomme in France, 
and hence this rising was called the Jacquerie. The 
peasants wished to destroy all nobles and gentlemen in 
the world. In their rage and fury they did many deeds 
too horrible to relate. Marcel thought he would 
strengthen himself by helping the peasants, and sent a 
body of men to aid their attack on the fortress of 
Meaux, where many of the families of the nobles had 
taken refuge. But the fortress was strong, and the 
nobles were able to defend themselves, and utterly 
defeat the peasants. Then the punishment given to the 
poor peasants was terrible : their villages and houses 
were burnt, they were killed by hundreds, and in six 
weeks the rising was over. 



96 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

Death of Etienne Marcel, 1360.— The Dauphin 
now thought he was strong enough to attack Paris. 
Marcel, who wished to gain over some of the nobles to 
his party, asked Charles of Navarre to aid him to 
defend the city, and named him Captain of Paris. 
Charles the Bad was not a safe friend. As soon as he 
saAV that the Dauphin's party was getting stronger, he 
began to treat with him, and left Paris and went to 
join him. Marcel was in great difficulties. Paris was 
star^dng, the citizens were losing their trust in him. 
He made one more despairing eftbrt. He wrote to 
Charles the Bad, promising to give Paris up to him and 
proclaim him king of France. Charles was quite 
drilling ; but in Paris itself many wished to make friends 
^Wth the Dauphin. They discovered Marcel's plans, 
and the very night that he was going to let Charles the 
Bad in, they watched for him at the gate. When he 
arrived with the keys in his hands, they came out upon 
him, saying, 'Etienne, Etienne, what are you doing 
here at this hour 1 ' Fierce words followed, and then 
they fell upon him and killed him there. The next 
morning they sent word to the Dauphin what they had 
done, and he was at once admitted into Paris. 

Peace of Bretigny, 1360. — The two years' truce 
was just over, and Edward ill. marched into the north 
of France with a great army. The Dauphin showed 
his wisdom by not trying to fight against the EngHsh. 
He simply kept out of their way, bidding the strong 
towns shut their gates against them. The country 
was so ruined, that Edward could find no food for his 
army, and was glad to sign the Peace of Bretigny with 
the Dauphin. According to this. King John was to be 
set free for a large ransom, and till this should be paid 



THE HUNDRED YEARS' WAR 



97 



one of his sons, the Duke of Anjou, was to stay in 
England in his place. 

Release of John, 1360. — John came back to 
France, but he did nothing to heal the sores of his 
unhappy kingdom. Now that peace was signed, the 
captains of the Free Companies sent away their soldiers ; 




COSTUME, FOURTEENTH CENTURY. 



and these men, who were accustomed to live by plunder, 
formed themselves into small robber bands, and 
wandered over the land, spreading terror wherever 
they went. In the midst of all this misery, John held 
festivities and tournaments at his court. The year 
G 



98 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

after his return, the Duke of Burgundy, one of the 
greatest vassals of France, died without an heir, and so 
his duchy fell to the king. John ought to have united 
these rich lands to the royal domain, but he gave them 
to his youngest son Philip, who, as Duke of Burgundy, 
founded a mighty house, which was afterwards able to 
rival even the royal house itself. In 1364, the Duke 
of Anjou, who had been left as hostage for the king in 
England, escaped. John himself then went back to 
England to make up for his son's dishonourable act. 
Perhaps he was not sorry to escape from the miseries 
of France, to the comforts which he enjoyed as a royal 
prisoner in England. He died the same year, and his 
son became king as Charles v. 



CHAPTER XII 

CHARLES v., THE WISE 

Charles V., 1364. — Charles v., who was called 
the Wise, was a very different man from the two iirst 
kings of the house of Yalois. He was a pale, thin 
man, quiet and timid ; he never went to war himself, 
and trusted more to good management than to good 
fighting, to get rid of his enemies. From boyhood 
he had to struggle with terrible diflSculties, and he 
had learnt much from his troubles. Fortunately he 
had a famous soldier to help him in his wars. This was 
the Breton, Bertrand du Guesclin, who had grown up 
amidst the troubles of the Brittany War, and thence 
passed into the service of the king of France. He was 
a short ugly man — it was said there was no uglier man 
in Brittany — absolutely fearless, loving to fight, pitiless 
to the strong and powerful, but full of pity and kindness 
to the poor. 

End of the 'War in Brittany.— When Charles v. 
became king, there was supposed to be peace between 
France and England, but the war in Brittany between 
the two rival dukes still went on, and here the English 
and French knights met and fought. Du Guesclin, 
with Charles of Blois, went to attack at Auray the 
army of the famous English captain John Chandos, who 



o5C. 



lOO A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

was helping de Montfort. There the French were 
defeated, Charles of Blois was killed, and du Guesclin, 
whose love of fighting made him imprudent, was taken 
prisoner. This battle ended for a time -the war of 
Brittany ; for, as Charles of Blois was dead, Charles v. 
recognised Montfort as duke, and made peace with 
him. 

The 'War in Spain. — Peace only added to the 
miseries of France, for it added to the number of 
Free Companies who had nothing to do. Charles v. 
thought that it might be possible to get them to leave 
France, if he took part in the wars in Spain, where 
there were two rivals for the throne of Castile, Peter 
the Cruel and his half-brother Henry of Trastamare, 
He ransomed Du Guesclin, and bade him lead an army 
into Spain to defend the cause of Henry. They tried 
to call this war a crusade, by speaking of the cruelties 
of Peter, and saying that when he was driven out, they 
would march against the Moors, and drive them from 
Spain. Du Guesclin told the soldiers of the Free Com- 
panies, that in this way they would win pardon for all 
their sins. On the way to Spain, he led his army to 
Avignon, where they received the blessing of the Pope, 
pardon for all their sins, and a large sum of money. 

Peter the Cruel was easily driven from his throne, 
but he fled to the court of the Black Prince at Bordeaux 
and asked his help. So the Black Prince and 
Chandos marched into Spain, and defeated the French 
in the battle of Najara, where once more Du Guesclin 
rushed too far in his eagerness, and was taken prisoner. 
Then all Charles v.'s plans were upset, for the Free 
Companies marched back into France again and began 
their ravages, and there was no one to check them. 



CHARLES K, THE WISE loi 

Du Guesclin did not stay long a prisoner. The 
Black Prince found, to his indignation, that men thought 
he kept Du Guesclin in prison, because he was afraid of 
him ; so he said he would let him go for a large ransom. 
Du Guesclin at once promised to pay it, and when the 
Prince asked how he, a poor knight, could raise so 
much money, he answered, ' The king of Castille will 
pay half, the king of France the rest, and there is not 
a girl in France, who knows how to spin, who will not 
spin for my ransom.' Such was the admiration felt for 
Du Guesclin that Chandos himself and the Princess of 
Wales gave money towards his ransom. 

Death of Peter the Cruel, 1369.— The Black 
Prince had been obliged to leave Spain, because of the 
illness of his men. Du Guesclin now went again with 
Henry of Trastamare to attack Peter, and once more 
defeated him. Peter was taken prisoner and brought 
before Henry. Then the two brothers began to abuse 
one another with hard words. Words soon turned to 
blows. They fell on the ground struggling together, 
and Peter was killed. 

Conquest of Aquitaine. — Whilst the Spanish 
wars were keeping the Free Companies busy, Charles v. 
had been carefully trying to weaken his enemies and 
strengthen himself in every way. He spent no time 
and wasted no money on pleasures. A little music 
after his dinner was his one amusement. Rich and 
poor could come to him and tell their wants. His 
great wish was to drive the English out of France. 
The Black Prince did not rule Aquitaine very wisely, 
and all who had any complaints to make against him 
found a ready hearing from Charles v. After his 
return from Spain, the Black Prince was in bad health, 



I02 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

and did not manage things well. People complained 
loudly of his taxes, and at last Charles v., as his suzerain 
lord, dared to bid him come and answer these complaints. 
The Black Prince was furious at such a command, and 
refused to go. Then Charles ordered his lands to be in- 
vaded. Du Guesclin, whom he named Constable, the 
highest military rank in France, and Oliver Clisson, 
another Breton captain, were bidden to conduct the war. 
They were careful to avoid a great battle, but they at- 
tacked the English in numberless small skirmishes, and 
harassed them at every step. Blness forced the Black 
Prince to go back to England. His place was taken by 
his brother John of Gaunt. But his armies were 
followed everywhere by Du Guesclin, who little by little 
drove the English further and further back, till at last 
they were glad to sign a truce. 

Reform of the Free Companies.— During 
these wars Charles V. had tried to turn the Free 
Companies into a regular army. Many of them had 
perished in Spain. Of the others, Charles v. took the 
best captains into his service, and he insisted that all 
captains must have his permission to command their 
bands, and then he gave them wages for their soldiers. 
So there was more order in the land. The king was 
able to give some attention to learning and to art. He 
had a magnificent palace built for himself in Paris, 
called the H6tel de St. Pol, which he adorned with 
pictures and statues. He added many beautiful manu- 
scripts to the library in the Louvre. The walls of Paris 
were rebuilt, and the great fortress of the Bastille was 
begun. 

Death of Du Guesclin and Charles V., 
1380. — In the end of Charles v.'s reign there were 



CHARLES K, THE WISE 103 

troubles in Brittany, and Du Guesclin was ordered to 
march against the Bretons. He could not bring him- 
self to forget his own Breton blood and do this, so he 
went instead to take some places which still held out 
for the English in the south of France. There, whilst 
besieging a little fortress, the great soldier fell ill and 
died. The king honoured him with a splendid funeral. 
A few months after Charles V. himself died. 

Charles YI., 1380-1422.— The new king, 
Charles Vi., was only eleven years old ; he was a hand- 
some, good-natured little boy, and from his childhood had 
shown a love for arms and the glory of a soldier's life. 
But he showed no signs of the wisdom and seriousness 
needed to make a good king. The care of Charles v. had 
managed to bring back some little order, and to gather 
a little money for the government, but he was hardly 
dead before his brother, the Duke of Anjou, seized his 
jewels and treasures and kept them for himself. The 
young king was entirely in the hands of his uncles. 
The Duke of Anjou was made regent; the youngest 
uncle, the Duke of Burgundy, had the care of the 
king's person, and the second, the Duke of Berry, had 
himself made governor of the south of France. These 
royal princes were called the Princes of the Lilies, as 
the lily was the emblem that Louis vii. had chosen for 
the royal house. Their one desire was for money, and 
on all sides the people rose against their unjust and 
hard demands. 

The Maillotins. — In the market at Paris, a poor old 
woman was selling water-cress, and a tax-collector came 
to demand from her a new tax, which was to be raised 
on everything sold in the market. The old woman 
began to scream, men gathered round her, fell upon the 



I04 A FIRST HTSTORV OF FRANCF 

tax-collector, covered him with blows and killed him. 
The disturbance spread, and the people armed them- 
selves as best they could. They got hold of a number 
of iron mallets from the stores of the government ; they 
were called maUlotins because of this strange weapon. 
They Avent all through the town, killing all the tax- 
collectors they could find, breaking open the prisons, 
and letting the prisoners go free. The princes of tlic 
Lilies were powerless to stop them, and had to yield to 
their wishes. A wise old lawyer, Jean de Desmarets, 
persuaded the government to pardon the rebels. He 
was old and ill, but he was carried roiuid the town on 
a litter to tell the people of the king's pardon and 
promises. 

Battle of Roosebek, 1382.— The childless Queen 
of Naples chose the Duke of Anjou as her heir. He 
took with him all the money he had been able to lay 
his hands on in France, and went off to try and win 
his kingdom, and did not return to trouble France any 
more. The Duke of Burgundy was now the most 
powerful man in France. He had married the daughter 
and heiress of the Count of Flanders, and took great 
interest in the affairs of Flanders. The citizens of 
Ghent and some of the chief Flemish towns had risen 
against their Count because of his heavy taxes. The 
Duke of Burgundy raised an army in France to go to 
the help of the Count of Flanders, and took with him 
the young King, who was delighted to go to war. They 
met the Flemish army at Eoosebek, where the Flemings 
chained themselves together, so that all might stand 
firm against the French knights. So when the horse- 
men dashed against them they could not move, and 
pressed against one another. Most of them were either 



CHARLES v., THE WISE 105 

stifled or killed. This victory filled the king and the 
Princes of the Lilies with triumph. They went back to 
Paris as conquerors, and ordered all the old taxes to be 
imposed again, and punished the leaders of the Maillo- 
tins, whom they had been obliged to pardon before. 
The Princes of the Lilies took this opportunity of 
getting rid of old Jean de Desmarets, whom they hated. 
He was condemned to death, after a mere pretence of a 
trial. When they came to behead him, they said, 
'Master Jean, ask mercy of the king, that he may 
pardon your faults.' But he answered, ' I have served 
well and loyally his great-grandfather, his grandfather^ 
and his father, and I will ask mercy of God alone ; for 
if the king had had the age and knowledge of a man, 
he would not have been guilty of such a judgment on 
me.' Then he bade farewell to the people, who stood 
weeping round him. 



CHAPTER XIII 

THE BURGUNDIANS AND THE ARMAGNACS 

Majority of Charles VI. , 1388.— For a while 
the king's uncles were able to rule as they liked, as the 
revolts of the people had been put down. But in 1388 
some of the chief clergy advised the king to rule 
for himself. Then he dismissed his uncles, thanking 
them for the trouble they had taken. They went away 
very discontented to their own lands. Charles vi. then 
chose ministers from the old servants of his lather. 
They were called the Marmousets, or little monkeys, by 
the nobles, in scorn of their low birth. They tried to 
brinsi; some order into the 2;overnment, but the kinsr 
cared only for his pleasures, and gave them no help. 

Attempted Murder of Clisson. — The man for 
whom Charles VI. cared most was Oliver Clisson, the 
soldier who had been made Constable of France. Now 
it chanced that a certain Peter Craon had been dis- 
missed from the service of the coiu't, and he thought 
that Clisson was the cause of his disgrace. So one night, 
when Clisson was coming back from court in the dark 
with a few servants, Craon set upon him in the streets 
of Paris with a body of armed men. Clisson was stabbed 
many times 3 but he fell against the door of a baker's 
shop, which gave way, so that he fell into the house, 



THE BURGUNDIANS AND ARMAGNACS 107 

and the murderers went on their way, thinking he was 
killed. Clisson's servants went to the help of their 
master, who lay bleeding from his wounds before the 
terrified baker. One of them rushed to tell the king 
what had happened, and he rose from his bed in haste 
to come to the Constable. The king's doctors attended 
to the wounded man, and in a few weeks he was able 
to ride again. 

Madness of Charles VI.— Peter Craon took 
refuge with the Duke of Brittany, who refused to give 
him up. Charles vi. was so eager for vengeance that 
he determined to lead an army into Brittany. He was 
in bad health, and the doctors urged him to rest, but 
he would go, and refused to listen to any advice. As 
he was riding on a hot July day through the forest of 
Mans, a miserable-looking man, probably a mad beggar, 
dashed out from amongst the trees and seized the king's 
bridle, crying out, ' King, ride no further, but turn 
back, for you are betrayed ! ' This gave the king a great 
fright, and as they rode on he suffered more and more 
from the heat, as he was dressed in a close-fitting black 
velvet doublet. By chance a page let his lance fall on 
to the helmet of his neighbour. This second fright was 
too much for the king's weak head. Drawing his naked 
sword, he rushed forward, screaming, 'Kill these 
traitors ! ' He turned on his brother, the Duke of 
Orleans, who fled before him. Before he could be 
stopped, it is said that in his frenzy he killed four men. 
Then they managed to get his sword from him ; but the 
poor king knew no one, and was hopelessly mad. He 
never got quite well again. There were times when his 
senses came back for a while, but the fits of madness 
always came on again. If he Avas well enough, he liked 



io8 



A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 



to be amused by festivities and shows. Once a grand 
wedding was held at court, and the king, with five other 
men, dressed themselves up as savages in close-fitting 
dresses, covered with tow to look like hair. Every one 
was filled with astonishment at these strange figures, 




STATUES FROM ROUEN CATHEDRAL. 



and some one brought a torch too near to examine 
them, and set them on fire. Five of them were burnt 
to death. The king was saved because he was just then 
showing himself off to the ladies of the court, who covered 
him with their petticoats and protected him from the fire. 



THE BURGUNDIANS AND ARMAGNACS 109 

Louis of Orleans. — The king's madness brought 
worse confusion than ever into the government. The 
princes of the royal family drove the Marmousets out 
of power, but they did not agree together. The Duke 
of Burgundy was the most powerful, but the king's 
brother, Louis of Orleans, a bright, clever young man, 
began to make a party of his own and to resist his 
uncle. Many of the nobles, who were jealous of the 
Duke of Burgundy, joined Louis. Unfortunately he 
was not a wise or serious man, he loved pleasure and 
had no real care for the good of France. He had 
married a beautiful Italian lady, Valentina Yisconti. 
She was very kind to the poor mad king, and her face 
and voice often soothed him when nothing else could. 
His own wife, Isabella of Bavaria, did not trouble 
herself much about him. She was very friendly with 
the Duke of Orleans, and managed to get plenty of 
money for herself and her friends^ out of the royal 
treasury. 

Death of the Duke of Burgundy. — In 1404 
the great Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Bold, died. 
He had not been a good friend to France, because his 
one object had been to make his own Burgundy great 
and rich. He had married the daughter and heiress 
of the Count of Flanders, and in this way had added 
the rich lands of Flanders to his duchy. Flanders 
was the centre of the art, trade, and manufacture of 
Northern Europe, and the coiu"t of the Duke of Bur- 
gundy was more magnificent and luxurious even than 
that of the French king. 

Murder of the Duke of Orleans.— Philip the 
Bold was succeeded by his son Jean sanspeur, or the Fear- 
less. At first he did not have nearly as much influence 



I lo A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

at the French court as Louis of Orleans and the Queen. 
This made him very angry. He pretended to make 
friends with Louis, and the two princes took the Holy 
Communion together, and swore love and friendship to 
one another. Not long afterwards, Louis of Orleans 
was supping with the Queen, when a messenger came 
and told him that the king wished to see him. As he 
hastily rode through the streets to the king's palace, he 
was suddenly set upon by eighteen armed men in a 
dark, narrow lane. When he cried out, hoping to save 
his life, ' I am the Duke of Orleans!' they answered, 
' It is just you that we want.' Tearing him from his 
horse, they killed him with many blows. 

It was clear to every one who was the cause of this 
murder. At first the Duke of Burgundy tried to deny 
it, but he soon thought it wise to flee to his own lands, 
and then he boldly confessed that the Duke of Orleans 
had been killed by his orders. He got a monk to 
preach sermons to defend the murder, by accusing the 
Duke of Orleans of all kinds of horrible crimes. The 
friends of Orleans longed for revenge, and the widowed 
duchess tried to stir up men to punish the murderer of 
her husband. The chief man in her party was the 
Count of Armagnac, whose daughter had married the 
son of Louis of Orleans. After him the friends of the 
house of Orleans were called Armagnacs. The whole 
land was torn by the struggles between the two parties. 
There was no one able to bring back order and good 
government. The Queen was despised by all parties, 
and the dauphin, with no one to guide him, spent his 
life in silly and often sinful pleasures. The Burgundians 
and Armagnacs hated one another so much, that each in 
turn asked for the help of the English against the others. 



THE BURGUNDIANS AND ARMAGNACS in 

There was constant fighting, and first one side and then 
the other seemed to have the upper hand. 

The Cabochiens. — The people of Paris had always 
liked the Duke of Burgundy, and he was glad to make 
friends with the common people in the city. They had 
as their leader a man called Caboche, a butcher, and 
his party were called after him the Cabochiens. Many 
of them were butchers too, and were very rough men, 
used to the sight of blood. Those were terrible days 
in Paris, for the Cabochiens killed and plundered all 
whom they looked upon as their enemies, and the Duke 
of Burgundy with their help had. many of his enemies 
put to death. Some of the chief men in the University, 
who really wished for the good of the people, tried to 
lead the Cabochiens into wiser ways. The States- 
General was summoned to meet in Paris, and drew up 
an ordinance for the reform of the land. But though 
there were men wise enough to see what ought to be 
done, there was no one strong enough to carry out 
the reforms. In time Paris grew tired of the violence 
of the Cabochiens; the Duke of Burgundy left the 
city and fled for safety to his own lands, whilst the 
Armagnacs entered Paris. 

Invasion of Henry V., 1414. — Meanwhile a new 
trouble was preparing for the unhappy land. In Eng- 
land, Henry v. had just come to the throne ; he decided 
to take advantage of the troubled condition of France, 
and landed in Normandy with an army. He marched 
through the north of France, plundering as he went. 
The leaders of the two French parties were at first too 
busy with their own quarrels to pay any heed to him. 
The Duke of Burgundy kept quiet, because he hoped 
that his foes would be harmed by the English invasion. 



112 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

It was the lords of the Orleanist party at last, who quickly 
got an army together, and marched against Henry V, 

Battle of Agincourt, 1415. — The two armies met 
at Agincourt ; the French had six times as many men as 
the English, but they were drawn up in such a narrow 
space that their numbers were useless, and they could not 
resist the terrible flight of arrows shot by the English 
archers. The ground was soft and muddy after heavy 
rain, and the horses stumbled and fell in the mud, and 
soon the French army was in confusion. Many of their 
nobles were killed, others were taken prisoners. Amongst 
the prisoners was the king's nephew, the young Duke of 
Orleans, w^ho was kept for thirty years a prisoner in 
England, where he spent his time in writing verses, 
deploring his sad fate. 

The Armagnacs in Paris.— The Armagnacs feared 
that this defeat v^^ould ruin their party. They persuaded 
the poor mad king to come to Paris and name the 
Count of Armagnac, Constable of France. The Con- 
stable made himself master of Paris, but his rule Avas 
cruel and harsh. During these sad days the two eldest 
sons of the king both died in Paris, and the remaining 
son, the Dauphin Charles, was only fourteen, so the 
Constable had no one to interfere with him. When the 
Duke of Burgundy learnt how Paris hated the cruel 
rule of the Armagnacs, he came to France once more as 
the friend of the people. The Queen made friends with 
him, out of hatred to her young son, the Dauphin 
Charles, because he had blanvsd her for her evil life. 

The Burgundian party roused the Cabochiens in 
Paris again. They showed all their old fury. The 
Count of Armagnac and as many as two thousand of his 
party were killed. The Dauphin managed to escape 



THE BURGUNDIANS AND ARMAGNACS 113 

unhurt, and the mad king was marched about the 
streets by the Cabochiens, so that they might pretend 
that he was pleased with their doings. Famine and 
pestilence added to the miseries of the unhappy land, 
whilst Henry V. continued his successes and took 
Rouen. 

Murder of the Duke of Burgundy, 1419. — 
In the hope of making peace, a meeting was arranged 
between the Duke of Burgundy and the Dauphin at 
Montereau. The two princes, each accompanied by a 
few followers, met in the middle of a bridge, which 
there crosses the Seine. After a few words, one of the 
Dauphin's followers fell upon the Duke of Burgundy 
and killed him. So the murder of the Duke of Orleans 
was avenged. But this murder did little good to the 
Armagnacs. The Duke of Burgundy's son, Philip, suc- 
ceeded his father, and in his desire for vengeance, made 
friends with the English. 

The Treaty of Troyes, 1420. — Queen Isabella, 
to satisfy her hatred for the Dauphin, agreed to treat 
with the English, and persuaded the poor king to sign 
the shameful treaty of Troyes with Henry V. By this 
it was agreed that Henry v. should marry Charles vi.'s 
daughter Catharine, and that when Charles VI. died, 
Henry v. and not the Dauphin should succeed him as 
king of France. The Burgundians and the English now 
proceeded to attack together the places which held out 
for the Dauphin. Henry V. and the Duke of Burgundy 
entered Paris with Charles vi. They rode through the 
streets in solemn procession, and together offered up 
prayers in the Cathedral of Notre Dame. But Henry v. 
soon found that France would not submit easily to him, 
and many places held out bravely for the Dauphin. 

H 



114 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

Henry was not hopeful about the future. It is said that, 
whilst he was busy with the siege of Meaux, messengers 
came to tell him that his young French Queen had 
given birth to a son at Winchester. He answered 
sadly : ' Henry of Monmouth will have reigned a short 
while and conquered much ; Henry of Winchester will 
reign long and lose everything.' Five months after- 
wards the great King of England died, and soon after 
him the poor mad King of France. The people had 
loved Charles vi. through pity for his misfortunes, and 
wept for his death, crying, ' Never shall we have again 
so good a king.' 



CHAPTER XIV 

JEANNE DARC 

Charles VII., 1422-1461.— At Paris tlie little baby 
prince, Henry of Winchester, was proclaimed king on 
the death of Charles VI., and his uncle, the Duke of 
Bedford, was named regent. But in the country the 
Dauphin was proclaimed as Charles Vll. He was only 
twenty years old ; timid and delicate, he seemed not to 
have courage and energy to struggle against his diffi- 
culties. Most of France south of the Loire recognised 
him as king, and he made his court at Bourges, from 
which the English, in mockery, called him king of 
Bourges. He had hardly enough money for his own 
wants, and nothing with which to pay an army. A few 
bands of mercenary soldiers were ready to fight for him, 
but their plundering habits only added to the miseries 
of the land. Charles vii. seemed to despair, and to 
give up all attempts to do anything for his people. 

Siege of Orleans. — The English, after winning 
several small victories, laid siege to Orleans. It com- 
manded the passage of the Loire ; and if Charles vil. 
lost it, his enemies would be able to make their way 
into the lands which he still held. The bravest English 
soldiers took part in the siege. The men of Orleans, 
though their king sent them no help, resisted with 

115 



Ii6 A FmST B/STORV OF FINANCE 

great courage. The English built towers round the 
city, from which they attacked the Avails. However, 
they could not succeed in forcing their Avay in, and pro- 
visions began to fail them. Sir John Falstatf was 
ordered to convey, under the charge of a few soldiers, 
a long train of baggage- wagons with food for the 
English. The Fi'ench deterniined to stop him ; but 
when he knew that he was going to be attiicked, he 
arranged the wagons so as to protect his archers, and 
waited for the French. The horsemen expected to 
carry all before them, but they dashed themselves in 
vain against the wall of wagons, and wei-e cut down by 
the arrows. Soon they were driven to flight on all 
sides, and the provisions were taken safely to the 
English troops, who received them with great rejoicing. 
This was called *The day of the herrings,' because 
mawj of the wagons were laden with herrings for the 
Lenten fast. The French, covered with shame, seemed 
to have lost all courage, and the young king, in his 
court at Cliinon on the Loire, remained helpless and 
hopeless in his despair. 

Jeanne Dare raises the Siege of Orleans. — 
Suddenly he was told that a maiden, Jeanne Dare, had 
come all the way from Domremy, a village in Lorraine, 
bidden, as she said, b}'' heavenly voices, to save France. 
At first they would not let Jeanne come near the king, 
but at last she Avas admitted to his presence. They did 
not tell her which Avas the king ; but she at once Avent 
straight up to him and saluted him, and men took this 
as a sign of her diA-ine mission. She told Charles that 
the A^oices Avhich she had heard, Avhilst keeping her sheep 
in the fields, had bidden her come and raise the siege 
of Orleans and lead the king to be croAvned at Eheims. 



JEANNE DARC 



117 






STANDARD, BANNER, AND PENNON OF JEANNE DARC. 



ii8 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

She asked that men might be put under her com- 
mand, so that she might drive away the English from 
before Orleans. After much discussion, it was decided 
that she should be allowed to do as she wished. Her 
presence amongst the soldiers soon changed the temper 
of the French. She gave them courage ; she gave them 
faith; she made them ashamed of their cowardliness 
and of their evil life. Once more there was order and 
good conduct in the camp. Jeanne had a banner em- 
broidered only with the names Jesus and Mary. With 
the banner borne before her, clothed in white armour, 
she forced her way through the besieging English into 
Orleans. There her presence brought new courage. 
She led an attack against the English towers. The 
English soldiers thought she was a witch, and fled 
before her. Jeanne herself never shed blood, but the 
sight of her made her countrymen fight like lions, and 
the English were forced to raise the siege and go away 
from before Orleans. Then Jeanne entered Orleans in 
triumph, and went first to thank God in the cathedral. 

Charles VII. is crowned at Rheims. — After 
this she wished at once to march upon Eheims. 
Unfortunately there was division amongst the king's 
advisers. Dunois, one of his bravest knights, was 
eager to help Jeanne in all her plans; but another 
courtier, la Tremouille, tried to oppose her, as he was 
jealous of her influence. However, at last they started, 
and on the way to Eheims one place after another was 
won from the enemy. Amongst all the rough soldiers 
Jeanne remained simple and modest, and all were 
forced to respect her. Eheims opened its gates to the 
king, and there he was solemnly crowned in the 
cathedral, as his forefathers had been before him. 



JEANNE DARC 



19 



Jeanne stood beside the altar, weeping for joy, with 
her standard in her hand. 

Jeanne is taken Prisoner. — Some say that after 
this, Jeanne begged to be allowed to go home to 
Domremy, but the king insisted on her staying with 
the army. An attempt was made to besiege Paris ; but 
it failed, and Jeanne was wounded, and lay helpless in 




RHEIMS CATHEDRAL. 



a ditch for some hours. Shortly afterwards she went 
to Compiegne to defend it against the attacks of the 
Duke of Burgundy, and there she fell into the hands 
of the Burgundians, who gave her over as a prisoner to 
the English. They looked upon her as the cause of 
all the reverses that had befallen them, and were eager 
to be revenged upon her. She was brought to trial as 
a sorceress. 



I20 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

The Trial of Jeanne Dare. — The simple peasant 
girl of nineteen was questioned by a number of clever 
men, whose one desire was to lead her to say something 
with which they could find fault. She said that her 
voices gave her courage, and told her how to answer. 
She was so brave and steadfast, that they could convict 
her of nothing. All her answers showed that faith in 
God alone had given her courage. * I would rather 
have been torn in pieces by wild horses,' she said, 
' than come to France without God's permission.' But 
they vexed and confused her so by their questions, 
that at last she owned that it might have been possible 
that her voices had deceived her, and she promised 
never to wear men's clothes again. Then they con- 
demned her to be imprisoned for her life. 

Jeanne is burnt at Rouen, 1431. — But as 
long as she was alive, the English were afraid of her. 
One day they left her only men's clothes in her cell ; 
she was forced to put them on. Then they accused 
her of having broken her promise. Her indignation 
broke out, and, full of courage, she said once more that 
she had been sent by God, and guided in all things by 
holy voices. The English said that she had fallen 
back into her errors, and must perish before she led 
others astray, and she was condemned to be burnt at 
the stake. On the market-place at Eouen a great 
crowd gathered to see her die. First a sermon was 
preached by a member of the University of Paris, to 
declare why she was condemned. Then Jeanne threw 
herself on her knees in prayer, and called to those who 
stood around to pray with her. She begged for a 
crucifix, and an English soldier gave her a rude wooden 
cross, which he had made with a stick. But a kind 



JEANNE DARC 



121 



priest managed at last to have a crucifix brought to her 
from a neighbouring church. At last the soldiers 
grew impatient of her prayers. They seized her and 
dragged her to the executioner, bidding him do his 
duty. When she was placed on the top of the fagots, 




JEANNE DARC. 

{From, a Portrait in the Museum at Orleans, dated 1581.) 

and looked around at the town and the crowd, she 
said : ' Rouen, I fear me much that you will have to 
suffer for my death.' A priest stood by her side, 
exhorting her to confess her sins ; but when the fire 
was brought, she bade him go down lest he should be 
hurt. As the flames mounted she was heard to cry 



122 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

for water. Then she called on God and the saints, 
and at last there came a cry of triumph : ' Yes, my 
voices were from God ; my voices have not deceived 
me ! ' At last her head fell, and with one cry, ' Jesus,' 
her spirit passed away. All who stood around wept. 
One fierce soldier, who had sworn to add a fagot to 
the pile, screamed with terror, saying, ' With her last 
sigh I saw a dove fly from her mouth ; ' and a servant 
of the English king went away saying, ' We are lost : 
we have burnt a saint.' 

The Treaty of Arras, 1435. — This cruel deed 
did not bring back luck to the English and Burgundian 
party. The French General Dunois and the Constable 
Eichemont carried on the war with vigour, whilst the 
Burgundians began to grow tired of their alliance with 
the English. Eichemont succeeded in making a treaty 
with the Duke of Burgundy, who, in return for various 
lands and towns, gave up the English alliance, and signed 
the treaty of Arras. The conditions of the peace were 
hard for the French king, but in return he was at once 
received into Paris by the Burgundians. The people 
of Paris did not give him a warm welcome, and 
Charles Vil. never spent much time there. 

The Taille, 1439. — He was a very different man 
now from what he had been when Jeanne Dare came 
to him at Chinon. His soldiers were, step by step, 
winning back his land from the English, whilst he, 
filled with new hope and energy, gave his mind to 
bringing back order and good government into the 
distracted country. He gathered together the Estates- 
General at Orleans to consider what could be done to 
free the country from the wandering bands of soldiers, 
who were little better than robbers. The Constable 



JEANNE DARC 123 

Kictemont helped him to frame rules for the manage- 
ment of the soldiers. It was decided, that no bands of 
soldiers should be allowed to exist, except those who 
had a commission from the king. A regular tax, called 
the ' taille,' was ordered to be raised from the peasants 
and burgesses to pay for the king's army. The nobles 
did not have to pay, since it was supposed that they 
gave their services instead of money. This 'taille' 
continued for ever afterwards to be raised by the 
French kings. It took, of course, some time to get 
rid of the Free Companies, but little by little they 
were put down, and the regular army was properly 
organised. 

Jacques Coeur. — Charles vii. managed his money 
affairs with great care. He was helped by Jacques 
Coeur, a rich merchant, whose skill kept the royal 
treasuries full. Coeur. had opened up the trade with 
the East, whither he sent many ships laden with cloth, 
which brought back in return precious silks and spices 
from Egypt and the Levant. He was so rich that he 
often lent Charles large sums of money for his wars. 
But in the end the king was ungrateful to him. He 
listened to the stories the nobles told against the rich 
merchant, of whom they were jealous, and had him 
brought to trial and imprisoned. Coeur escaped, and 
lived and died an exile in Italy. 

The nobles were discontented at the strictness of the 
king's government, and the Dauphin Louis joined with 
them in their discontent, which grew into an open 
revolt. Eichemont put it down, but the king and 
the Dauphin were never friends afterwards. 

Conquest of Guienne, 1453. — Things wentworse 
and worse for the English. The Duke of Bedford was 



124 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

dead and there was no one to take his place. At last a 
truce was signed between France and England, and 
Henry VI. married Margaret of Anjou, the niece of 
Charles vii. The English did not like this truce, and 
soon the war broke out again. Then Eichemont chased 
the English out of Normandy, and Dunois conquered 
Guienne ; so that at liast nothing was left to the English 
but Calais, of all their vast possessions in France, and 
the Hundred Years' War was ended. The English 
kings did not give up their claim to France, but they 
were too busy with troubles at home to make any 
serious attempts at conquest. 

The Dauphin Louis. — The French nobles con- 
tinued very uneasy under the firm rule of Charles vii. 
The Duke of Burgundy was always ready to listen to 
their discontent, and some of them were even base 
enough to offer help to the English. But Charles vii. 
was too strong for them. He put them down with a 
firm hand, and made every one feel that he was their 
master. He laid the foundations of absolute monarchy 
in France. His son was to finish the work that he be- 
gan ; but, as long as his father lived, the Dauphin Louis 
tried to go against him in every possible way. Charles 
hated his son, and suspected him of many evil deeds. 
At last Louis fled to the court of the Duke of Bur- 
gundy, where he was kindly received. It was said that 
he gave such a heartrending account of his wrongs that 
the Duke and Duchess were melted to tears. Charles vil., 
when he heard how the Duke had welcomed his son, 
exclaimed, ' He has received a fox, who will steal his 
chickens.' 

Death of Charles VII. — These troubles made 
Charles vii.'s last years bitter. He died in 1461, and 



JEANNE DARC 125 

it is said that through fear of being poisoned he allowed 
himself to die of hnnger. 

Beginning of Modern History. — In his reign 
the middle ages come to an end, and what is called 
modern history begins. Constantinople was taken by 
the Turks in 1453, and thus ended all the aspirations 
of the middle ages to destroy the power of the Moslem. 
Printing was invented about 1440, and made the spread 
of learning amongst the people possible. The move- 
ment called the Renaissance, which took men back to 
the study of the great Greek and Latin writers, was 
beginning in Italy, and was soon to spread over the 
rest of Europe. 



CHAPTER XV 

LOUIS XI. 

Louis XI., 1461-1483. — As soon as news came of 
the death of Charles vii,, the Duke of Burgundy got 
ready to conduct the Dauphin into France. The Bur- 
gundian court was very splendid, and the soldiers and 
the nobles who were to accompany the new king were 
decked out with gold and precious stones, whilst trains 
of carts followed them, carrying gold and silver plate 
and wine. 

In the splendid crowd the real prince seemed to be 
the great Duke. The king was simply, even poorly 
dressed, and behaved as if he was the humble servant 
of his great protector. He was crowned in Rheims as 
Louis XI., and then he entered Paris with the Duke. 
He was willing to promise anything that the Duke 
asked, but he only felt himself really king when Philip 
had gone home again. 

Character of Louis XI. — Louis xi. found his 
kingdom at peace, but the great lords, many of them 
relations of the royal family, were only waiting for a 
chance to show their independence. Louis's reign was 
to be one long struggle with them. He had no friends 
amongst the nobles, for he distrusted them all. He 
chose as his confidential servants men of no position. 



LOUIS XL 127 

who owed everything to him, chief amongst whom was 
Olivier le Daim, his barber, and Tristan I'Hermite, the 
leader of a special police force. Louis xi. always tried 
to get his way by craft, rather than by open struggles. 
He would promise anything that was needed, and then 
would break the most sacred promises. But he knew 
quite clearly what he wanted ; he worked steadily for 
his ends, and his great cleverness won him success. 

League of the Public Good. — At first Louis xi. 
tried to get his own way too quickly, and so raised up 
enemies on every side. The nobles saw their chance, 
and pretending to be the friends of the people, formed 
what they called the League of the Public Good. The 
leading spirit in this league was Charles the Bold, Count 
of Charolais, the Duke of Burgundy's eldest son, who 
hated Louis. The nobles of the League made ready to 
march on Paris. Louis XL believed that if he could get 
to Paris first he would be saved. Charles the Bold 
barred the way against him at Montlh6ry. Louis xi. 
forced his way past, allowing Charles to beat a part 
of his army and celebrate his victory. Meanwhile 
Louis XI. was in Paris. He spoke fair words to the 
citizens and to the University, and then went off to 
gain friends in Normandy. Soon he began to treat 
with his enemies. He gave something to every one. 
His brother, who had been a member of the League, 
was made Duke of Normandy ; it seemed as if Louis 
was ready to do anything his enemies wanted. 

Death of the Duke of Burgundy, 1467. — 
Shortly afterwards the old Duke of Burgundy died, 
and was succeeded by his son, Charles the Bold. He 
was a violent and passionate man, and had many diffi- 
culties at home. One of his cities, Li6ge, revolted, and 



128 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

whilst he was busy settling his own troubles, Louis xi. 
seized the opportunity to break some of his promises. 
He took away Normandy from his brother, and forced 
the Duke of Brittany to submit to him. 

Louis XI. goes to P^ronne.— Charles the Bold 
was mad with fury when he heard of this, more par- 
ticularly as he suspected that Louis xi. had encouraged 
the people of Li6ge to revolt. He sent most insolent 
messages to the king, and it seemed as if war must 
break out. Louis xi. believed that he was clever 
enough to gain over any one by his words, and he 
decided to go and visit Charles in person. Followed 
only by a few men, he went to P6ronne, where he met 
the Duke. 

P6ronne was a border fort belonging to Burgundy. 
At first Charles received Louis as a friend, but soon 
after his coming news arrived from Li6ge of a new 
rising of the citizens, and from what the Duke heard, it 
seemed as if they had been encouraged by Louis. 
Charles fell into one of his fits of wild rage. He ordered 
the gates of the town to be shut, and Louis was kept 
as a prisoner in a gloomy little tower in the castle. 
For three days it was uncertain what would be done 
with him, and the Duke spoke loudly of making an end 
of the traitor. Louis was very much frightened ; but 
he used every chance he got to make friends among 
the Duke's people. He made promises, and gave away 
money right and left. One of the most trusted servants 
of the Duke, Philippe de Comines, saw what a mistake 
it would be for the Duke to do the king any injury. 
He has left us an account of what happened. 

He says that the third night he spent in the Duke's 
room, and that the Duke, as was his habit when 



LOUIS XL iiq 

troubled, never undressed, but threw himself two or 
three times on his bed, and then jumped up again and 
paced the room. His anger was greater than ever, 
and he broke out into furious threats as Comines 
walked by his side. But at last he decided on the 
conditions which he would offer Louis, and went off 
suddenly to tell them to the king himself. Some one, 
perhaps Comines himself, was able to warn Louis 
of the danger he would run, if he refused Charles's 
conditions. When the Duke, in a voice still trembling 
with anger, had made his proposals, Louis agreed to 
everything. The Duke called for his most precious 
relic, a piece of the true cross, and on that they swore 
peace. Then the bells of the town rang out, and 
every one was delighted. 

Louis was bitterly humbled. He had to go with 
Charles to punish the revolted citizens of Li^ge, whom 
he had promised to help. Then he was allowed to go 
back to Paris. He felt that this rash visit to the 
Duke had covered him with ridicule. It is said that 
the citizens of Paris mocked at him, and taught their 
tame magpies to cry Peronne as he passed. In his 
rage he revenged himself on one of his followers, the 
Cardinal La Balue, who had advised him to go to 
Peronne, and who, as he now found out, had sold his 
secrets to Charles. The unhappy Cardinal was im- 
prisoned in an iron cage for ten years ; he had himself 
invented this horrible way of punishing criminals. 

The Duke of Burgundy invades France. — 
As soon as he was free, Louis xi. did not trouble to 
keep the promises he had made when in fear of his 
life. He had said that he Avould give his brother the 
earldom of Champagne, instead of which he gave him 

I 



I30 A FIRST ///srORV OF FRAIVCF 

(iiiioimo, so as to Ivocp liiin .it a distanco from Bnronndy. 
Then Charles, furious that the treaty of reroiuie was 
not kept, made a new league against the king, which ho 
persuatlod the Dnlco of Guienno to join. But just as 
the war was about to broak out, the Duke of Cuienno 
died suddenly, and Charles loudly accused the king of 
having poisoned his brother. He swore to punish 
Louis, and entered France with an army, burning and 
plundering every place he came to. Wlion he reached 
Beauvais, he was unable to take the town, for the 
citizens made such a brave defence. The women 
turned out to help the men, and one of thorn, named 
.leanno, like the Maid of OrU\ins, seized a standard, 
which a Burgiuidiaii soldier had already })lanted on the 
walls. She carried a little hatchet to strike down her 
enemies, and was from this nicknamed Jeanne Ilachette. 

Charles, after doing much harm to France, returned 
home, and for some time was prevented fi-oni attacking 
Louis XI. by other plans. He wanted to make his 
duchy ii^to a kingdom, and to add to his lands on 
the east and the south. Meanwhile he persuaded 
Edward iv., king of England, whose sister he had 
married, to invade Normandy. Louis Xl. always liked 
words bettor than blows, and so, instead of lighting with 
Edward iv., ho first gained over the English nobles by 
rich presents, and then made a treaty in which he 
promised the king a large sum of money if he would 
return to England. 

Louis XI. and his Nobles. — Now that Louis 
was sure of peace, he was free to punish the great 
nobles, who for years had joined in plotting against 
him. Till now Louis had always forgiven them, and 
pretended to receive thorn into favour again, but at 



LOUTS XI 131 

last he was strong enough to punish them, and t(3ach 
them a lesson for the future. One after another the 
great nobles were brought up for trial. Two were 
imprisoned for life, two others were condemned to 
death and executed. Another, the head of the great 
Armagnac family, and one of the worst men of his 
time, was attacked in his own town and killed whilst 
defending it. Some even of the great nobles were 
imprisoned in horrible iron cages and put to torture. 
In many cases these nobles doubtless deserved punish- 
ment, as they had been willing to make friends for 
their own advantage, with the enemies of their king 
and their country. Louis xi., by putting down these 
nobles, made his kingdom leally one, and brought 
order into the government, whilst he strengthened 
the royal power. 

Death of Charles of Burgundy, 1477. — 
Whilst Louis xi. was steadily growing stronger, his 
great enemy, Charles the Bold, had failed in all his 
hopes and plans. He had a quarrel with the Swiss, 
and to punish them he got ready a splendid army and 
invaded their land. The Swiss had no fine nobles, 
and no grand horse-soldiers. On foot, armed with long 
pikes, the hardy mountaineers awaited the attack of 
the Burgundians. But they fought as men fight who 
love their country and their liberty, and in two great 
battles defeated Charles and his fine soldiers. Then 
when Charles was besieging a town in the winter he 
was killed, and his body was with difficulty found 
amongst the snow. 

Charles only left one child, a daughter, Mary, the 
greatest heiress in Europe. She was Louis xi.'s god- 
daughter, and he pretended to be full of affection for 



132 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

her. However, he at once occupied the towns on the 
Somme, the border cities of Flanders, and the provinces 
of Burgundy and Artois, with his soldiers, and en- 
couraged the Flemings to rise against Mary. She 
felt that she needed a truer friend than her godfather, 
and married Maximilian, the Archduke of Austria, a 
marriage which had been arranged by her father. 
Maximilian at once made war on Louis xi., and defeated 
his troops at the battle of Gluinegate. Soon after- 
wards a congress was held at Arras to settle the 
terms of peace, and once more Louis XI. showed 
his cleverness : he managed to keep the lands he 
had seized, and even to get more, as a dowry for 
the infant daughter of Mary and Maximilian, who was 
betrothed to Louis's son, the Dauphin Charles. 

Louis added also Provence, Anjou, and Maine to the 
royal lands, when their rulers died without heirs. 

Louis XL's way of life. — As he grew more 
powerful, Louis did not grow less suspicious. He lived 
chiefly in his castle of Plessis les Tours, near Tours. 
This he had had strongly fortified, and it was always 
guarded by a body of Scottish archers, in whom he 
put more trust than in his own servants. His court 
was sad and gloomy ; no one was allowed to go freely 
out and in ; every one lived in terror of offending the 
king. Louis was devout in his observation of his 
religious duties, and wore on his hat a number of 
leaden images of his favourite saints, to whom he 
would address his prayers in moments of difficulty. 
When illness warned him that his life was drawing to 
an end, he was full of fear. By pilgrimages and special 
prayers, he tried to lengthen his life. He was so thin 
that he looked more like a dead than a living man. 



LOUIS XL 



133 



At last he was forced to resign himself to die. He 
called the Dauphin to him, gave him much good advice, 
and then, having received the last sacraments, he died 
in 1483. 




GUILLEAUME DE MAY, CAPTAIN OF THE KING'S ARCIlKliS, A.D. 14b.O. 



CHAPTER XVI 

CHARLES VIII. 

Charles VIII., 1483-1498.— Louis XL's son 

Charles, the youngest of his children, was only thirteen 
when his father died. He was an ugly, stupid boy, 
with a big head, a short neck, and a heavy body sup- 
ported on thin legs. From his birth his health had 
been delicate; he had been brought up quietly at 
Amboise, and allowed to learn very little, so that his 
brain might not be tired. As Louis xi. knew that his 
son was as yet quite unfit to reign, he had said that he 
wished his daughter Anne to govern for him. Anne 
had married the Sire of Beaujeu ; she had much of her 
father's cleverness, and Louis xi. said of her that ' she 
was the least foolish woman in the world, since wise 
women there were none.' 

Regency of Anne of Beaujeu. — The nobles 
rejoiced to be free from the strong hand of Louis xi. 
Their leader was the young Duke of Orleans, son of that 
duke who had so long been prisoner in England ; he had 
married Louis xi.'s daughter Jeanne, and by birth he 
was next heir to the throne after Charles Vlll. Anne 
gave way to the wishes of the discontented nobles. 
She allowed the barber, Oliver, to be hung, and she 
called the States-General to meet at Tours in 1484 ; 

134 




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FRANCE 

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LOUIS XI 






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Creightaris Fvarvae, .-p. 234. 



Longmans . Or een ^ Co.. London,. N&w York, & Bomb(hy 



CHARLES VIII. 135 

but she got many deputies chosen who were on her 
side and against the party of the nobles. In this 
assembly could be. seen, how much Louis xi. had done 
to destroy the power of the nobility ; for all parties sat 
together without distinction of rank. Anne promised 
everything they wanted, and sent them away. But she 
did not mean to keep her promises. Louis of Orleans 
and the Duke of Brittany now made war on her, with 
the pretence of freeing the young king from the tyranny 
of his sister. Anne sent La Tremouille, a clever 
general, to lead an army into Brittany, and he defeated 
the princes and took Louis of Orleans prisoner. The 
Duke of Brittany had to make peace, and died the next 
year, leaving his duchy to his only daughter Anne. At 
once many came forward to ask for Anne's hand in 
marriage. Anne of Beaujeu was determined that she 
should wed the king of France, but she herself was not 
willing, and wished to choose some one else. As Anne of 
Beaujeu could not win her by fair words, she set to work 
to win her by force, and La Tremouille was again sent 
with an army into Brittany. The French princes all 
felt how wise it would be to add Brittany to France, by 
means of this marriage. Louis of Orleans made peace 
with the Begent, and was allowed to go free, and he 
did his best to get Anne to agree to marry the king. 
Her own Bretons gave her the same advice, and at last 
she yielded. She was married to Charles VIII. in 
Brittany, and then went to Paris, where she was 
solemnly crowned. Thus the great fief of Brittany was 
united to the crown. 

When this matter was so well settled, Anne of 
Beaujeu felt that her task was over, and she left off 
taking any share in the government. Charles viii. was 



136 A FIJ^ST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

now twenty. He seems to have cared very nnich about 
amusing himself, but he longed to gain glory by some 
brilliant deed. 

The Italian Expedition. — You will remember 
how in the reign of St. Louis, his brother, the Duke of 
Anjou, tried to win the kingdom of Naples. Since 
those days the house of Anjou had always claimed 
Xaples, and made several expeditions to win it. The 
French knights liked these expeditions, for Italy was a 
rich country, where life was much gayer than in 
France, and where splendid prizes might be won. 
Louis XI. had been tempted by the thought of the riches 
of Italy, and had persuaded the house of Anjou to give 
up their claims to him. Now Charles viii. decided 
himself to go and make good his claim on Naples, and 
win glorj^ and riches there. 

Italy was divided into lands ruled over by different 
princes, who were often at war with one another. 
There was at that time a very -vWcked Pope, Alex- 
ander VI. He had no care for the Church, but plotted 
to win lands for his own relations. Another wicked 
man, Ludovico il Moro, was trving to get for himself the 
Duchy of ^lilan, which really belonged to his nephew. 
He made offers of friendship to the French king, in 
hopes that Charles would help him against his enemies. 
The Pope also at first encouraged Charles, who talked 
of going on from Italy to lead a Crusade against the 
Turks. 

Charles VI 1 1, enters Italy, 1494.— Charles viii. 
first made peace with his enemies near home. He had 
been at war both with Henry vii. of England and the 
Emperor jMaximilian. Then he got together a most 
splendid army, and marched with it into Italy. There 



CHARLES VIII. 137 

waf5 no one there able to resist him, his march 
was like a triumphal progress, and the cities opened 
their gates to him. At Florence, a great preacher, 
Savonarola, who had long tried to rouse the city to a 
sense of its sinfulness, welcomed him as a deliverer, 
sent by God to free the people from their wicked 
rulers. The Pope hoped to keep him out of Rome, but 
was forced to receive him and make a treaty with him. 
In Naples, a king was reigning who was of Spanish race; 
he fled at the approach of the French, and Charles Vlli. 
entered the city in triumph. There he and his nobles 
gave themselves up to pleasure, and each tried to get 
as much plunder as he could. No steps were taken to 
make their conquest secure, and after a while they 
began to tire of Naples, and to wish to go home and 
show off the riches they had won. Meanwhile, the 
Italians had grown very tired of them, for the French 
seemed very rough and rude to the polished Italians. 
Ludovico il Moro, who had secretly poisoned his 
nephew, and was now Duke of Milan, wished to get 
rid of the troublesome guests whom he had invited. 
Comines, the wisest adviser of Charles viii., who had 
been Louis xi.'s secretary, had been sent to Venice on 
an embassy. He now came to Naples to warn the 
king to go home as soon as possible, for the Italian 
princes were forming a league against him. 

Charles leaves Italy, 1495. — Charles was quite 
willing to go. Some soldiers were left to keep the 
strong places in Naples, and the king and his army set 
off quickly for France with all their rich booty. At 
Fornova, a place to the south of the river Po, he came 
upon the army of the allied Italians. The French had 
not a skilful general, but the fury of their attack, and 



13^ A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

tne bravery of the Swiss troops in Cluirles vill.'s pay, 
were too much for the Italians, who were not accus- 
tomed to such furious and bloody fighting. Charles 
VIII. did not try to win a battle, he only forced his 
way past the Italians. His army was in want of 
supplies, and he had to hasten home, so that his return 
was really a retreat. The troops he had left behind in 
Naples were soon forced to surrender, and x\o result 
remained of this great expedition. But the French did 
not forget the glories of Italy. The sights they had 
seen, and the treasures they had brought back, gave 
them a new love for art of all kinds, and led to much 
greater luxury in French ways of living. Charles VIII. 
had his castle at Amboise on the Loire rebuilt, and 
adorned by artists, whom he brought from Italy. It 
was here that, two years after his return, he met his 
death. He was going to watch a game of paume or 
tennis, the favourite game of the French, in one of 
the castle ditches. To get there he had to pass 
through a dark low passage. Its door was so low, 
that he knocked his head as he passed under it. He 
thought nothing of the blow at the time, but as he was 
watching the game, he suddenly fell backwards in a fit, 
and died on a bed of straw before he could be taken to 
his room. 



CHAPTER XVII 

LOUIS XII. 

Louis XII., 1498-1515. —Charles viii. left no 
children, and he was succeeded by his cousin, Louis 
of Orleans. As a young man, Louis had been very fond 
of pleasure, and, as leader of the young nobles, had given 
a great deal of trouble to Anne of Beaujeu. But he 
became more serious when he was king himself, and 
tried to make his kingdom well-ordered and prosperous. 
His chief adviser was George of Amboise, the Arch- 
bishop of Rouen, who helped him to manage his finances 
wisely, so that the taxes might not be too heavy, and 
to improve the laws and the law-courts. 

Louis XII., marries Anne of Brittany. — By 
the death of Charles vill. Brittany was once more 
separated from the crown of France. Anne went back 
to her duchy, but she had promised on her marriage 
with Charles viii. that, if she were left a widow, she 
would marry no one but the heir to the crown. Louis xil. 
was already married to Jeanne, daughter of Louis XL, 
a sweet and patient lady ; but her husband had never 
loved her, for he had been forced to marry her as a 
child, and she was ugly and deformed. The Pope, 
who was anxious to gain his friendship, now allowed 
him to put away Jeanne, who ended her days in a 
convent, and he then married Anne of Brittany. 

139 



140 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCF 

Louis XII. claims the Duchy of Milan, 1499. 

— When lie had put things in order at home, Louis 
began to get ready to carry out the great wish of his 
life — an expedition into Italy. The French looked 
upon Italy as a promised land, and were impatient to 
return there. Louis, through Valentina Visconti, 
daughter of the Duke of Milan, who had married 
his grandfather, claimed to be heir of the duchy of 
Milan. The powerful city of Venice, the queen of the 
sea^ and the Pope were willing to let him conquer Milan, 
because of the hatred they bore to Ludovico il Moro ; 
and Louis Xll. promised in return to help them in their 
plans. He sent his army across the Alps, and Ludovico 
il Moro could get no soldiers to fight against it, so that 
when Louis xil. arrived shortly after his army, he 
found that Milan was his without any fighting. 

He entered the town in ducal dress, and the people, 
weary of the tyranny of Ludovico, received him as a 
saviour. Louis was very gracious to his new subjects, 
and spent a few weeks in Milan, showering benefits on 
all sides. Then he returned to France, leaving a 
Milanese nobleman to govern in his name. Ludovico il 
Moro had fled across the Alps, but he soon returned, 
and in five months had won his duchy again. The 
Milanese, who were disgusted at the taxes they had to 
pay to the French, opened their gates to him with joy. 
Louis XII. was soon told what had happened, and sent 
another army with the Cardinal of Amboise across the 
Alps, to drive out Ludovico. Both the French and 
Ludovico hired Swiss soldiers to fight for them, and when 
the two armies met at Novara, the Swiss refused to fight 
against their fellow-countrymen. Ludovico's troops 
w^ere persuaded to give him up to th*e French, and thus 



LOUIS XII. 141 

shamefully betrayed the man for whom they had pro- 
mised to fight. He was taken to France and lived 
ten years in prison, where, it is said, he was not even 
allowed books to help him to pass the weary hours. 
The Cardinal of Amboise punished the Milanese very 
sternly for having rebelled against Ijouis xil., and many 
were put to death. 

Louis XII. and Naples. — Louis xii. was not 
content with Milan, he wanted Naples too. But the 
Spaniards had long considered that they had a right to 
Naples. At this time a great king and queen, Ferdi- 
nand and Isabella, were reigning in Spain. Ferdinand 
had inherited one part of Spain called Aragon, and 
Isabella another called Castille : they had married, and 
had driven the last Moors out of Spain, so that now 
they ruled over a great and united kingdom. Louis xii. 
knew that they would not be content to let him win 
Naples. So he made friends with them, and proposed 
that they should join in turning out the Spanish prince 
who was reigning at Naples, and should then divide the 
kingdom. The conquest was easily carried out. The 
poor king of Naples was left alone, betrayed on all sides. 
He gave himself up to the French in order to spare his 
city from being sacked, and Louis gave him a home in 
France till his death. But the Spaniards and French 
soon began to quarrel over their conquest, and war 
broke out between them. The Spaniards had a great 
general, Gonsalvo di Cordova, and he soon drove the 
French out of Naples. In this war a certain French 
knight, named Bayard, gained great fame. He was 
called the 'Knight without fear and without reproach,' 
and many tales are told of his bravery. Once he kept 
a bridge alone against a great body of Spaniards, until 



143 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

help was sent to him. When the French were driven 
from Naples, Bayard went to Milan to fight under 
another famous soldier, the young Gaston di Foix. 

The League of Cambrai, 1508. — Louis xii. A^as 
so eager to win the lands which he claimed in Italy, that 
he joined the Pope, Julius ii., and the Emperor Maxi- 
milian, in making a very shameful treaty called the 
League of Cambrai. B}^ this treaty, the allies agreed to 
make war on Venice, and then divide her lands. Venice 
had always been friendly to France, and it was both mean 
and foolish of Louis xii. to attack her. He suffered for 
his fault, for the other allies first let him do all their 
work, and defeat the Venetians in a very bloody battle, 
and then they began to turn against him. The Pope 
formed a new league to drive the French out of liaXj. 
It is strange to find the head of the Church mixed up 
in all these wars, but the Popes in those days thought 
more about their lands and their riches, than about 
spiritual things. The fiery Julius ii. was far better 
suited to be a soldier than a priest. Still, he tried to 
give a good reason for his war against Louis xil. by 
calling him the enemy of the Church. The fighting in 
Italy went on, and though the French were successful 
at first, things ended badty for them, and they were 
driven out of Italy. Enemies attacked France on all 
sides. The English king, Henry Vii., landed his troops 
in the north, the Swiss marched into Burgundy, and 
the allied English and Austrians won a battle on the 
French border, in which the French knights ran away 
so quickly, that they themselves nicknamed it the 
Battle of the Spurs. Louis xii. was forced to make 
peace as quickly as possible, and to give up his claims 
on Italy. 



LOUIS XII. 143 

Death of Louis XII. , 1515. — Anne of Brittany 
died, and to gain the friendship of the English, 
Louis XII. married Mary, the young sister of Henry viii. 
She was a mere girl, and Louis tried to please her by 
all kinds of amusements. But feasting and late hours 
did not suit the king, who was growing old, and he 
died a few months after his marriage. 

Louis XII. did not succeed in his plans of foreign 
conquest, but his people did not suffer from his wars. 
He was careful of his money, and paid his soldiers with 
the revenues that came to him from his own lands, so 
that the people were not burdened with taxes. The 
laws were reformed under his care, the land grew in 
wealth and prosperity, and the king was called in 
gratitude 'the father of the people.' The peasants 
were saved from the cruelties of wandering bands of 
soldiers. An ordinance was made, which forbade the 
soldiers to plunder, and those who disobeyed it were 
so severely punished, that it was said that a soldier 
no longer dared to take even an Qgg, without paying 
for it. 



CHAPTER XVIII 

FRANCIS I. AND CHARLES V. 

Accession of Francis I., 1515. — Louis xii, left no 
son, and the heir to the throne Avas his cousin Francis, 
the Count of Angoul^me, who, like Louis himself, was a 
descendant of Louis of Orleans, the son of Charles V. 
In order that Brittany might still be united to France, 
Francis had been married to Claude, the daughter of 
Louis XII. and Anne of Brittany. But neither Louis 
nor Anne loved their son-in-law, and it is said that 
Louis said of him, ' That big boy will spoil everything.' 
Francis was educated by his mother Louise, a princess 
of the house of Savoy. She was a clever, ambitious 
woman, fond of pleasure and fond of money. She kept 
a brilliant court at Cognac, the capital of the county of 
Angoul^me. There Francis grew up with his sister 
Margaret, surrounded by gay young nobles and artists 
and poets. He learnt to love pleasure of all kinds, 
especially hunting, and he liked smart clothes and a 
gay court ; he was brave and active, and wished to win 
fame as a soldier. When he became king, he was 
twenty years old, and was full of plans of the great 
things that he would do. 

The state of Europe. — To understand his reign, 
we shall have to learn a great deal al)out the other 
1^ 



FRANCIS L AND CHARLES K 145 

kings and princes in Europe. During this time the 
history of the different countries is very much mixed 
up. It was the time when the nations of modern 
Europe, as we know them, were forming and strength- 
ening themselves. Each nation wished to enlarge its 
boundaries and get some of the lands of its neighbours, 
and in the struggle some of the smaller kingdoms were 
entirely destroyed and swallowed up by their more 
powerful neighbours. As a rule, Italy was the battle- 
field of the different powers. All wished to win that 
rich land, and as Italy was divided amongst many 
different rulers, it did not unite against the invaders. 
Whilst the princes of Europe were fighting together for 
their own selfish aims, all Christendom was threatened 
by the advances of the Turks. If only the Christians 
had united against their common enemy, the Turks might 
have been driven out of Europe; but as a rule the 
brave Hungarians were left alone to fight against the 
terrible enemy, and fell by thousands in bloody battles 
against them. 

Francis I. crosses the Alps. — Francis i.'s first 
idea was to win Milan again. Maximilian Sforza was 
ruling there, and had an army of Swiss to defend him. 
They guarded the passes over the Alps into Italy, so 
as to keep out a French invasion. But the French dis- 
covered a steep shepherds' path over the mountains 
further south, and by this Francis determined to lead 
his army. A band of workmen was sent to improve 
the path ; still, when the army crossed, it was so peril- 
ous that the horses had to be led by the bridle in single 
file. It seemed impossible to drag the heavy cannon 
over such a path, but Francis insisted, and they were 
dragged up by the soldiers, and sometimes let down 
K 



146 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

with cords over steep places. The king himself shared 
all the fatigues of his men, and wrote to his mother 
that ' he, who had not seen what they had seen, would 
not have believed it possible, that horsemen and cannon 
could have been taken by such a way.' 

Battle of Marignano, 1515. — The Swiss were 
amazed when they heard of the descent of the French 
into Italy. They retired from the Alps towards Milan, 
and Francis followed them, and encamped at the little 
village of Marignano, not far from Milan. Here he was 
attacked one evening b}^ the Swiss. The battle began 
when the sun was already setting. The Swiss attacked 
■with great fiuy, and the battle raged whilst the dark- 
ness gathered, and the feeble rays of the moon, 
struggling through the thick clouds of dust raised by 
the soldiers, hardly allowed them to know friend from 
foe. At last complete darkness forced them to stop. 
The night was passed by both armies on the battle- 
field. Francis did not rest for more than a few 
minutes, leaning against the muzzle of a cannon. An 
hour before dawn, he had everything ready to begin the 
battle again. All through the night the sound of the 
trumpets calling back the men to their places, had never 
ceased. The Swiss were attacked on all sides, but stood 
their ground well, till a body of Venetian troops, allies 
of the French, arrived on the battle-field and charged 
the Swiss, with cries of ' St. Marco ! ' Troubled by this 
unexpected attack, they began to draw back, but fought 
on bravely for some time, and did not fly till they had 
left 8000 men dead upon the field. 

Bayard knights Francis I. — On the field of 
battle Francis bade Bayard dub him knight, saying 
that all counted him the most worthy knight. Bayard 



FRANCIS 1. AND CHARLES V. 147 

at first refused, saying that the king was knight before 
all other knights, but Francis insisted. Then Bayard 
touched him on the shoulder with his sword, and ad- 
dressing his sword afterwards, said that it should 
always be honoured as a sacred relic, since it had 
knighted so beautiful and so powerful a prince. 

The victory of Marignano gave all the duchy of 
Milan into the hands of Francis, and made him the 
most powerful prince in Europe ; all hastened to seek 
his ifriendship, and it seemed as if no one could be 
strong enough to go against him. 

The Emperor Charles Y., 1519.— Three years 
after this great battle, the Emperor Maximilian died. 
For some years there had been much scheming about 
who should succeed him. The emperor was chosen 
by seven of the chief German princes, called the 
Electors, three of whom were archbishops. The two 
last emperors had both been princes of the house of 
Austria ; and the heir to the house of Austria, Charles, 
Maximilian's grandson, hoped that he might be chosen 
in his turn. Charles had already inherited from his other 
grandfather Ferdinand the kingdom of Spain, and from 
his father Philip the rich provinces of the Netherlands, 
which Mary of Burgundy had brought as her dowry to 
Maximilian, and left to her son Philip, who was now 
dead. Charles was a young man, only nineteen years 
old, quiet and reserved in his ways, but Francis felt 
that, should he be chosen emperor, he must become the 
chief man in Europe. Francis determined therefore to 
try to be chosen emperor himself. Each side began to 
bribe the electors ; large sums of money were given, 
and the electors freely took money from both, and 
made promises to both. In the end Charles was 



148 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

chosen, for he seemed less of a stranger to the Germans 
than Francis, and he became emperor as Charles v. 

The Field of the Cloth of Gold, 1520.— 
Francis was very indignant, and he believed that the 
great power of Charles, whose lands surrounded his on all 
sides, was a real danger for France. Each felt that the 
other was his rival, and that peace between them could 
not last for long. Each therefore was eager to have 
Henry viii. of England as his friend, in the struggle 
that was sure to come. Francis asked Henry to come 
over the sea, and meet him near Calais. Each king 
went to the place of meeting with such magnificence 
and such a splendid train of followers that the meeting 
is known as the Field of the Cloth of Gold. At first 
the two kings did not meet mthout a great deal of 
state, but one morning Francis rose earlier than usual, 
and dressing himself rode off with only two gentlemen 
and a page to the English camp. He made his way 
through the astonished guards to the room where 
Henry lay still asleep, and woke him by knocking 
at the door. Henry was surprised and delighted by 
this mark of confidence, and the two kings exchanged 
rich presents and most affectionate words. Francis 
even helped Henry to dress. Both took part in the 
games and feats of arms in which the days were spent. 
One evening Henry came and challenged Francis to 
^vrestle with him. Francis was the more active, and 
succeeded in throwing Henry, who got up red with 
anger and wanted to begin again, but this the attendants 
managed to prevent. After twenty-five days of festi- 
vities the two kings parted Avith many expressions of 
friendship. But Henry viii. had had a quiet meeting 
with Charles v. just before he had crossed to Calais, 



FRANCIS I. AND CHARLES V. 149 

and went straight away to meet him again. Both he 
and Wolsey, his great minister, preferred the friend- 
ship of the Emperor to that of Francis, and made a 
treaty with him. 

Treason of the Constable of Bourbon. — It 
was not long before war broke out between Francis I. 
and Charles v. The Pope joined with Charles to 
chase the French out of Italy, and once more they 
were driven from Milan. Francis was preparing to 
lead a new army into Italy when he was delayed by a 
grave danger at home. The greatest of the French 
nobles was the Constable of Bourbon. Himself the 
head of one branch of the Bourbon family, he had 
married the heiress of the other branch, who, dying 
soon after, left him all her lands. Louise of Savoy, the 
king's mother, was also related to the Bourbons, and 
she now claimed these lands. Some say that she wished 
to marry the Constable of Bourbon, and in her anger 
at his unwillingness determined to ruin him. She 
brought a suit against him in the law-courts of Paris. 
Already other signs had shown Bourbon that he had 
lost the king's favour. Though the victory of Marignano 
had been due in great part to him, he had been left 
aside whilst others, less able, had been given important 
work to do. Now he was threatened with the loss of 
all his lands. Full of pride and anger, he determined 
to revenge himself by making friends mth the chief 
enemy of his king. He made offers of alliance to 
Charles v., and promised that he and his followers 
would come to the aid of the troops of Charles, if 
they invaded France. The Emperor promised in return 
that he would marry him to his sister, and give him a 
principality in the south of France. 



I50 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

We see from this that the feeling of patriotism, the 
love of one's country, was still weak. *A feudal prince 
cared more for his own power than for his king and his 
country, and Bourbon, one of the last great feudal princes, 
was willing to overthrow his king if only he could w.n 
greatness for himself. Francis heard of Bourbon's plot, 
and stopped at Lyons on his way to Italy, unwilling to 
leave such an enemy behind him. Bourbon was 
summoned before the Mng. He denied all the charges 
against him, and promised to follow Francis to Italy. 
In order to make ready, he returned to his own lands, 
but from thence sent one excuse after another for not 
coming, pretending to be too ill to leave his bed. At 
last he fled, disguised as a servant, with only one or 
two followers, and, after meeting with many dangers, 
reached the Emperor's lands in safety, and joined the 
army that was to invade France. 

Battle of Pavia, 1525.— Meanwhile the French 
had suffered more disasters in Italy. In one of the 
battles, Bayard, the brave knight, was mortally 
wounded. Bourbon came upon him as he lay dying 
at the foot of a tree, and told him how much he pitied 
him, when he saw him in such a state. ' Sir,' answered 
Bayard, ' there is no need to pity me, for I die as a 
man of honoxu", but I pity you when I see you serve 
against your prince, your country, and your oath.' 

WhenFrancis himself came toItaly,he carried all before 
him, and once more entered Milan. Pavia, the second 
city of the Milanese, was occupied by the imperialist 
army, and Francis surrounded it in order to take it. 
The imperialists were in want of food and of money to 
pay their troops, and it seemed as if Francis must be- 
come the master of Italy. But Pavia held out bravely. 



FRANCIS I. AND CHARLES V. 151 

and after three months an army, in which Bourbon was 
one of the generals, came to its relief. Francis' wisest 
generals advised him to go away without risking a 
battle, but he was eager to fight, and full of confidence. 
A terrible and bloody battle followed, in which the 
French were utterly defeated. Many of their bravest 
soldiers were killed or taken prisoners ; 9000 men lay 
dead upon the field. The king fought bravely, and 
would not fly, but at last he was surrounded and com- 
pelled to yield himself prisoner. It was a terrible blow 
for France, and the king, from the Italian fortress 
where he was imprisoned, wrote to his mother : 
* Nothing is left to me save honour and life.' 

Captivity of Francis I. — ^Louise of Savoy showed 
a great deal of courage and energy, and at once took 
steps to protect the French borders from invasion, and 
to keep the country in order. Charles v. was deter- 
mined to get every possible advantage from having the 
French king in his power. He asked such hard condi- 
tions of peace that it was impossible for France to 
grant them. After a while Francis was taken to Spain, 
as the general who had charge of him was afraid lest 
efibrts should be made to rescue him. When he landed 
in Spain the nobles received him with great honours, 
and his journey across Spain was a succession of 
festivities ; but at the castle of Madrid a very difierent 
lot awaited him. Charles v. had no idea of making 
his captivity pleasant. He was lodged in one of the 
strongest towers of the fortress, in a room with a single 
window, thickly barred with iron, and a hundred feet 
above the ground. Eich tapestries were sent from 
France to cover the bare walls, but nothing could make 
it a cheerful place. 



IS2 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCF 

Messengers were sent from France to discuss the 
terms of peace, but nothing could be settled, since 
neither side would give way. Francis again and again 
asserted, that he would rather suffer a long capti^aty, 
than yield what would be shameful to himself and hurtful 
to his country. After a while he fell dangerously ill. 
Charles v. was alarmed lest death should take his 
captive from him. He sent his own doctor to tend 
the invalid, and at last came to \dsit him himseK. 
\ATien Francis saw the Emperor enter, he sat up with 
difficulty in his bed and bowed. Charles V. threw 
himself into his arms and held him for a few moments 
in a close embrace. ' Sire,' said Francis, * you see before 
you yoiu- prisoner and yoiu- slave.' Charles answered 
with aflectionate and comforting words. The next day 
a much more welcome visitor arrived. Francis' sister 
IMargaret, who loved him with the greatest tenderness, 
had come from France to try and arrange the de- 
liverance of her brothei". On her way across Spain 
she heard of his serious illness, and hastened on, full 
of the deepest anxiety. The king was cheered for a 
moment by her arrival, but soon became much worse. 
Margaret despaired of all earthly help. She ordered an 
altar to be put up in his room, and there mass was 
celebrated. The king partook of the host, and shortly 
after his state began to improve, and he slowly gathered 
strength again. But Margaret could not get any easier 
terms of peace from Charles. 

The Treaty of Madrid, 1526.— Francis had 
repeatedly said that he would remain a prisoner all his 
life, rather than agree to Charles's terms. But he was 
weary of prison, and at last he agreed to sign the 
treaty of IMadrid. In it he promised to give up the 



FRANCIS I. AND CHARLES V. 153 

Milanese for ever, and to give Burgundy to Charles v. 
He was also to marry Charles's sister, and until these 
things were done, his two sons were to come and be 
prisoners in Spain instead of him. Francis swore 
solemnly on the Gospels to keep this treaty, and after 
a very affectionate meeting with Charles v., he set out 
for France. At the river Bidassoa, which separates 
France and Spain, he got into a boat, just as his two little 
sons did the same on the other side. In the middle of 
the river a landing-place had been put up. Francis 
and his sons landed upon it at the same moment ; the 
little princes kissed his hand, and he embraced them. 
Then he entered their boat and was rowed to the French 
shore, whilst they passed on to their sad captivity. 

When he found himself once more in his own country 
Francis jumped upon a horse and cried with joy : 
' Now I am king ! I am king again ! ' In spite of his 
solemn oaths he did not in the least mean to keep the 
treaty of Madrid. He looked about for friends with 
whom he could ally himself against Charles, and found 
that the Pope Clement vii. was angry at Charles's con- 
duct in Italy, and ready to go against him. So a 
league, called the Holy League, was formed against 
Charles v., and the war in Italy began again. 

The Sack of Rome, 1527. — The Italians hoped 
that, mth the help of the French, they might get rid of 
the Spaniards and Germans. But the Duke of Bourbon 
got together a great army, mostly of German adven- 
turers called lanzknechts. Charles v. never had any 
money to spare, and he did not send Bourbon enough 
to pay his army. So Bourbon let the men plunder the 
rich Milanese lands, and then led them to Rome. They 
marched quickly, and reached the walls of Rome tired 



154 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

out, with hardly any provisions or gunpowder left. 
Bom-bon told them, that they could only save them- 
selves from ruin, by taking Rome at once. The next 
morning, when all was wrapped in thick mist, they drew 
near the walls. Bourbon mounted the first ladder, but 
hardly was he upon the walls when a ball struck him, 
and he fell. He was carried away dying, and his 
soldiers, filled with fiu-y at his fall, dashed into Eome, 
which was soon at their mercy. The Pope took refuge 
in the fortress of St. Angelo ; the terrified people tried 
to hide themselves, or sought safety in the churches. 
For eight days the city was at the mercy of the fierce 
soldiers. It was the richest city in the world, full of 
the treasures of art. But nothing was respected. The 
lanzknechts were mostly Protestants, and they pillaged 
the churches and took away the rich vessels. The 
Spanish soldiers plundered the palaces and sought gold 
everywhere. Cardinals, nobles, and merchants were 
tortured to make them give up their treasures. The 
soldiers wandered about dressed in the richest stufis, 
with gold chains roimd their necks, riding on the 
Pope's mules. No one buried the dead bodies, and 
soon pestilence broke out. The Pope was obliged 
to give himself up to the imperial army, and was 
kept a prisoner. After many months he succeeded 
in escaping, and at last signed a humiliating treaty 
with Charles v. 

The Paix des Dames, 1529. — There was great 
indignation in Europe at the sack of Eome, and 
Francis I. thought it a good moment to begin war 
against Charles v., and try once more to conquer the 
Milanese. But his army was imsuccessful, and he grew 
more and more anxious to get his sons out of the hands 



FRANCIS L AND CHARLES V. 155 

of Charles v. Little was known about their state. 
Their French attendants had been sent away, and they 
were kept closely in a lonely fortress. At last a peace 
was concluded at Cambrai by Charles's aunt and 
Francis' mother, which was called the Paix des Dames 
(the ladies' peace), and by paying a large sum of money, 
and giving up Milan for ever, Francis got back his sons. 

Treaty of Crespy, 1544. — After this there was 
peace for six years, but Francis could not give up the 
hope of winning Milan. He looked about for new 
allies. In Germany the people who had followed the 
religious teaching of Luther, and given up obedience 
to the Pope, had joined together in a league against the 
Emperor, who wished to put down the reformers. 
Francis made friends with the German Lutherans, and 
also with Charles's most powerful enemy, the Sultan of 
the Turks. It was strange that a Christian prince 
should make friends with the Turks, whom all Chris- 
tians wished to drive out of Europe ; but Francis was 
willing to do anything that could harm the Emperor. 
He sent a solemn embassy to Constantinople to ask for 
the friendship of the Sultan, and seized the first chance 
to begin the war again. It was not till the year 1544 
that, tired out with the long struggle, he at last made 
peace, and signed the treaty of Crespy en Valois, by 
which he gave up his claim to Milan. 

The reign of Francis I. had begun brilliantly, but it 
was in no way a happy reign for his people. Louis xii. 
had allowed the Parlements to have a voice in the 
affairs of the kingdom, but Francis I. would not listen 
to them, and forbade them to interfere. He agreed 
with the Pope to take away the right of the French 
Church to choose its own bishops and abbots; and 



1 56 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

after his day they were always chosen by the King and 
approved by the Pope. His wars cost a great deal of 
money, and besides he wasted money on his pleasures 
and his favourites, and the people were heavily taxed. 

Religious Reformation.— In France, as in other 
lands at this time, wise and good men were trying 
to reform the Church. At first Francis himself 
was friendly to the reformers. There were many 
distinguished poets and writers in his day, and he 
liked to have them round him and to talk with 
them. Most of them wished for reforms in religion, 
and Francis' sister Margaret agreed with them too. 
But after a while Margaret married the king of 
Navarre, and went to live in the Pyrenees. Then 
Francis began to listen to other friends, one of whom 
was the Constable Montmorency, a fierce and cruel man, 
who hated the reformers. So it came about that 
Francis allowed the reformers to be persecuted, parti- 
cularly when he saw that many of them wanted more 
freedom for the people, in political as well as religious 
matters. In the south of France there were some 
simple peasants living in the mountains, called the 
Yaudois, who for a long while had worshipped God in 
their own simple way. They were called heretics by 
the Chiu-ch, and one of the judges in the south thought 
this was a good chance to destroy them. He got the 
king's permission, and then ordered a massacre of the 
Vaudois. Three little towns and twenty-five villages 
were all completely destroyed, and even the women 
and children were put to death. Francis himself was 
not cruel, but he was weak and iU, worn out with 
pleasures, and old before his time, so that he allowed 
others to have their own way. 



FRANCIS I. AND CHARLES V. 157 

The Renaissance. — In one way Francis i. did 
much for France. He loved art and all that was 
beautiful. The great painters of Italy came to his 
court, and he treated them as his friends. Encouraged 
by him, art ' flourished in France. He himself built 
several beautiful palaces, some on the river Loire, and 
the great palace in the forest of Fontainebleau. He 
never stayed long in one palace, but Kked to move from 
one to another, carrying his splendid court with him. 
Never before had the French court been so splendid, 
but as it grew splendid it grew wicked too. The 
courtiers cared only for pleasure and for growing rich, 
and the king himself showed to aU that his chief wish 
was to have his own way and enjoy himself. Yet his 
people were proud of him, because he was bright and 
amiable and brave, and they thought that he would 
make France glorious. He died in the year 1547, the 
same year as Henry viii. of England, and of the three 
rivals Charles V. alone remained, and grew more power- 
ful every year. 



CHAPTER XIX 

THE GUISES 

Henry II., 1547-1559. — Francis i. was succeeded 
by his son Heiny, a dull, stupid man, who cared only 
for games and sports, and was quite willing to be led 
by others. He had no love for his wife Catharine, an 
Italian lady of the family of the Medici, the great 
merchant princes of Florence, but his whole heart was 
given to a great lady of the court, Diana of Poitiers. 
She was much older than he was, but she was very 
clever, and she was still handsome, and she could make 
Henry do anything she liked : so she and her friends 
had it all their own way at court. One of her friends 
was the Constable Anne de Montmorency, a hard, cruel 
man : but her chief friends were the Guise family, who 
now for some years play a great part in French history. 
Claude, the first Duke of Guise, was not really a 
Frenchman ; he was a younger son of the Duke of 
Lorraine, and as he saw no chance of getting on at 
home, he came to the French court and grew to be a 
friend of Francis i. He had many children, and they 
soon showed that they knew how to get on. The 
eldest, Francis, who became Duke of Guise, was a 
very clever general; the second was a priest, had 
many bishoprics given him, and was made a cardinal 

16S 



THE GUISES 159 

when lie was still quite a young man, and is generally 
known as the Cardinal of Lorraine ; a daughter, Mary, 
married the King of Scotland, and was the mother of 
Mary, Queen of Scots. Diana of Poitiers and her 
friends did not care for the good of France as long as 
they could grow rich themselves. A writer of the 
times says they were like swallows after the flies. 
Henry 11. gave them all they wanted, and in a very 
few weeks had wasted an immense sum of money. 

Persecution of the Protestants. — These people, 
who were given up to pleasure and sin, were very eager 
to persecute the Protestants, or Huguenots, as those 
who followed the teaching of the Eeformation, were 
called in France. They forbade them to worship God 
in their own way, and many were imprisoned and 
put to death. But the Huguenots increased rapidly. 
Many great people were friendly to their teaching, and 
some even of the Bishops favoured them. It seemed 
as if all good and honourable people were inclined to 
become Huguenot — and no wonder, when such men as 
the Cardinal of Lorraine were leaders of the Church. 

Capture of Metz,Toul, and Verdun.— Henry 11. 
was very anxious to begin the war with the Emperor 
Charles v. again ; and for this reason, though he perse- 
cuted the Huguenots in France, he made friends with 
the Protestants in Germany, and invaded the German 
borders. Charles v. was not prepared for him, and the 
French captured the three bishoprics of Metz, Toul, and 
Verdun, all three strong and important fortresses. 
Charles v. did not wish to lose these cities. He made 
peace with the German Protestants, and brought his 
army to besiege Metz. Francis of Guise hastened to 
defend the place, and soon showed what a brilliant 



i6o A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCS 

soldier he was. Agcain and again he came out of Metz 
at the head of his soldiers to fall upon the besieging 
army. Pestilence came to help him, and Charles v.'s 
soldiers died by hundreds. It was miserable to see 
their sufferings, and at last the Emperor, who had 
never before suffered a great defeat, was obliged to 
retreat. He said sadly, 'Fortune does not like old 
men.' 

Abdication of Charles V., 1556.— In Italy, 
too, the French were maldng war against the Im- 
perialists, but not so successfully. Charles v. was 
getting worn-out with the cares of his long life. He 
determined to lay down his crown and retire from the 
world. First he made a truce with France, then he 
divided his empire into two parts. Spain, Italy, the 
Netherlands, and all the wide colonies won by Spanish 
explorers in America he gave to his son Philip, whom 
he had married to Mary Tudor, queen of England. 
Austria and Hungary and the name of Emperor he 
gave to his brother Ferdinand. He himself retired to 
a monastery in Spain. There he lived for three years, 
ill and wretched, and longing for the world which he 
had left. 

The Duke of Guise takes Calais, 1558.— 
Peace did not last long. Henry ii. sent Francis of 
Guise to Italy with an army, whilst some Spanish and 
English troops under Count Egmont, Phihp ii.'s general, 
invaded the north of France. They defeated Mont- 
morency at the battle of St. Quentin, and took him 
prisoner. Charles v. in his convent heard of this 
victory, and asked impatiently whether his son was 
going to push his way on to Paris. When he heard 
that the victory had not been followed up, he would 



THE GUISES i6i 

read no more of the papers sent him. But the victory 
had caused terror in France. Francis of Guise was 
quickly called back from Italy, and he soon made the 
enemy retire. Then suddenly, before any one knew 
what he was going to do, he marched against Calais, 
which had so long belonged to England. It was not 
well prepared to resist him, and was soon forced to 
yield. So the English lost their last possession in 
France. The capture of Calais made Francis of Guise 
the hero of France. He and his family were all- 
powerful. Mary Stuart, the niece of Francis of Guise, 
AYas married to Henry ii.'s eldest son, the Dauphin 
Francis. Both were mere children, and the Dauphin 
was a miserable, sickly little boy. Mary Stuart was 
brought from Scotland to be educated at the French 
court. Already as a child she was beautiful and clever, 
and she loved the gay and brilliant life of the court. 

Treaty of Gateau Cambresis, 1559. — After a 
while peace was made with Spain, by the treaty of 
Cateau Cambresis. Once more France gave up all 
claims to Italy, and to strengthen the peace, Philip ii., 
who was a widower, as Mary of England was dead, 
married EHzabeth, daughter of Henry II. Splendid 
fetes were held in honour of the peace. Henry ii. 
himself took part in the tournaments, and in one of 
them the lance of his opponent by mistake went 
through the bars of the King's helmet, and gave him a 
wound in his eye from which he died a few days 
afterwards. 

Francis II., 1559-1560. — Henry ii. was succeeded 
by his three sons, one after the other, and all three 
together only reigned twenty-five years. They were 
poor feeble creatures both in body and mind, and these 

L 



i62 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

three kings show how the race of the Valois dwindled 
miserably away in consequence of their vicious lives and 
their love of dissipation. Diana of Poitiers lost her 
power at Henry ii.'s death, but the Guises only gained 
in power, for their lovely niece, Mary Stuart, was able 
to do as she liked with Francis ii. The Queen-mother, 
Catharine, had long learnt to hide her real feelings, 
and pretended to be friends with the Guises. Mont- 
morency had to leave the cornet, and the Duke of Guise 
and the Cardinal of Lorraine had everything their own 
way. 

The Huguenots. — The two chief princes of the 
royal family were both in favour of the Eeformed 
religion. These were Anthony of Bourbon, king of 
Navarre, and his brother, the Prince of Cond6, who 
was much beloved. To the same party belonged the 
greatest hero of the time, Admiral Coligny. But these 
men had no power at coiu-t. The persecution of the 
Huguenots went on. Many were put to death, some 
with horrible tortures. Yet their numbers grew, and 
men asked how long they should patiently submit to 
these cruelties, and to the tyranny of the Guises. At 
last a plot was made by those who were discontented 
with the state of aflairs, at the head of which was a 
man named La Eenaudie. The idea was to seize the 
Guises, and then give the care of the king to Conde. 
Cond6 himself took no active part in the plot, and his 
name was not mentioned. He was spoken of as the 
mute chief. Plans were carefully arranged, but many 
knew of the plot, and amongst them was a traitor, who 
told the Guises. They at once took the king to the 
Castle of Amboise, and so terrified him mth stories 
about the intentions of the conspirators, that he thought 



THE GUISES 163 

his only safety lay in the G-uises. He named Francis 
of Guise lieutenant-general of the kingdom, with 
power to do as he liked. Then the Duke of Guise 
was able to punish the conspirators. La E^naudie 
was killed fighting, but many others were brought as 
prisoners to Amboise. Some were driven into the 
town by the brutal soldiers, tied to horses' tails. There 
some had their heads cut off, some were hung, some 
were thrown into the Loire, and the streets ran with 
blood. The ladies of the court from the castle windows, 
watched with amusement the agonies of the dying. 
Most of the prisoners met their fate bravely, with the 
psalms, which some of the reformers had turned into 
French, on their lips. 

Tlie Trial of Gonde.— The Duke of Guise hoped 
to ruin Conde too ; but at first he could not succeed in 
proving that he had taken any part in the plot, and 
when the Estates-General met at Orleans, Conde dared 
to come there. But Guise had proofs of his guilt. 
He was cast into prison, and a number of judges 
were appointed to try him. All but two agreed in 
condemning him to death. One of the two who re- 
fused to agree was the Chancellor I'Hdpital, a just and 
good man, who hated persecutions for religion, and 
wished men to live in peace. He hoped to save Cond6 
by finding excuses to put off his execution. Cond6 
showed true courage ; he said he was no prisoner, since 
his spirit was free, and his conscience clean. ffis 
brother, the king of Navarre, was also in danger. 
The Guises made the king summon him to court, 
and then tried to persuade him to stab him with his 
dagger. But the king failed to make up his mind to 
this horrid deed. 



i64 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

Death of Francis 11., 1560. — Just at this time 
the king fell ill, and it was clear that he could not live 
many days. The queen-mother, Catharine, saw that 
now she would have a chance of escaping from the 
tyranny of the Guises. Everything was changed by 
the death of Francis II. Mary Stuart had to leave 
France, where she had been so happy, and go back to 
Scotland to meet her troubles. For the time the power 
of the Guises was broken. The new king, Charles ix., 
was only ten years old ; Queen Catharine determined 
to rule in his name. To make herself strong against 
the Guises, she made friends with the king of Navarre. 
If he had been a great man, he might have done much 
for France and religious liberty. But he was weak 
and pleasure-loving, and Catharine, who was sly and 
clever, could lead him as she liked. There was one 
man, however, who tried to get her to make things 
better, and that was the Chancellor de I'Hdpital. He 
wanted to settle the religious disputes, and bring order 
into the government. The last kings had wasted 
money so ^freely on their favourites, that the court was 
terribly in debt. Indeed, the country was in a most 
dangerous state. Everywhere there was bitterness and 
anger on account of the religious differences. People 
did not then believe that it was possible to allow two 
different forms of religion in the same country, and 
those who hated persecution thought that peace could 
only come, if the two sides could come to some agree- 
ment about the points on which they differed. Catharine 
herself was not at all religious, and was quite willing 
to favour either party. She hoped to prevent either 
from getting too strong, so that she might be able to 
play a great part herself. 



THE GUISES 165 

L'Hopital began to make economies in the govern- 
ment, and he was able to pass an edict to stop religious 
persecution. Conde was brought from prison and 
cleared of the charges made against him. It was even 
arranged that he and Guise should publicly make 
friends. They met in the presence of the little king. 
Guise said that he had never tried to harm Cond6, and 
then at the king's request they embraced. 

The Conference of Poissy, 1561. — Guise grew 
afraid lest de I'Hdpital, with the support of the reformers, 
should grow too strong. He therefore bound himself, 
together with the Constable de Montmorency and the 
Marshal Sf. Andr6, that they three would stand by 
one another, and watch over one another's interests. 
They were called the Triumvirate, and they did all 
they could to prevent any favour being shown to the 
reformers. De I'Hdpital hoped that it would be 
possible for the two religious parties to agree together, 
if they could meet and talk over their differ- 
ences. A conference was arranged at Poissy near Paris, 
at which the reformers were asked to state their 
views. The king and the queen-mother, with the other 
members of the royal family, surrounded by a great 
number of archbishops and bishops in their splendid 
robes, met together. Then twelve of the leading 
teachers of the Eeformed religion were brought in. 
There were no seats for them, and they were led to 
a bar which separated them from the court and the 
bishops, as if they were criminals. Their leader, Beza 
by name, a pious and learned man, who had come from 
Geneva for the conference, after first falling on his 
knees and praying aloud to God, explained what were 
the opinions of the reformers. He was listened to 



i66 .'/ FIRST ///STORY OF FRANCE 

with loud murmurs from the bishops. For several 
days the meetings went on, but nothing could come of 
them, for neither side would give way. Still I'Hdpital 
would not allow the persecutions to go on, and 
published an edict which said that the Huguenots 
might meet for worship outside Availed towns, and in 
country places. 



CHAPTER XX 

THE WARS OF RELIGION 

Massacre of Vassy, 1562. — L'H6pital had hoped 
by his edict of toleration to give peace to France, but 
such toleration was hateful to Guise. Three months 
afterwards Guise was passing, with a band of armed 
followers, through the little town of Yassy in Cham- 
pagne. As they drew near, they heard a bell calling 
the Huguenots to worship. The sound filled them 
with fury, and the soldiers rushed to surround the 
building, where 1200 Huguenots were gathered. They 
fired upon the defenceless crowd of men, women, and 
children as they tried to escape ; about fifty were killed 
and two hundred wounded. Then Guise and his 
soldiers went on their way. 

This cruel deed was the beginning of the terrible 
wars of religion, which brought such suffering to France. 
Many of the leading gentry in the land were on the 
side of the reformers, and they felt that the time was 
come to use force to free the land from the tyranny of 
the Guises. Anthony, king of Navarre, had been won 
over some time before to the Eoman Catholic side ; he 
was a weak, vain man, and easily led away ; but his wife, 
Jeanne d'Albret, would not follow him. ' Sooner,' she 
said, ' than ever go to mass, had I my kingdom and my 



i68 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

son in my hand, I would cast them both into the 
depth of the sea, that they might not be a hindrance 
to me.' Louis, Prince of Cond6, was now the leader 
of the Huguenot party. He went to Orleans, where 
the party was strong, and there the Huguenot leaders 
gathered round him with their followers. Admiral 
Coligny was slow to come ; he was full of horror at the 
thought of civil war, and dreaded taking any step to 
bring it on. But his brave wife urged him to go and 
use his talents as a general in God's cause. He listened 
to her as to a voice from heaven, and joined Cond6. 

The First Civil War, 1562.— The Huguenot 
leaders tried to keep good order amongst their 
followers. Swearing and drinking were not allowed in 
their camp, and plundering was forbidden. Still, it was 
not always possible to prevent the images in the 
churches from being broken, since many thought them 
as bad as idols. Anthony, king of Navarre, fought on 
the side of the Guises, and was killed in the war, but 
no one regretted him. The chief battle of this first 
war was fought at Dreux. It was a fierce fight, and 
only ended when darkness closed in. Montmorency 
was taken prisoner by the Huguenots, and Conde by 
the Duke of Guise. Coligny thought it best to lead the 
Huguenot army back to Orleans, and Guise was left 
master of the field. After this the war continued to 
rage. Guise hoped to take Orleans, the chief city held 
by the Huguenots. One evening he was riding round 
the city and arranging to make a general attack the 
next day, when in a lonely spot a man on horseback 
rode suddenly up and shot him in the back. The 
wound was fatal, and Guise died in a few days. The 
assassin was taken and tortured to make him confess 



THE WARS OF RELIGION 169 

wlio had urged him to this deed. In his torture he 
accused the Huguenot leaders, but there seems to have 
been no truth in his words. He was a wild, foolish 
man, and had been driven by his own hatred of the 
Duke to murder him. He was cruelly punished, for 
he was burned with hot irons, and torn to pieces by 
four horses. 

Peace of Amboise, 1563. — The death of Gruise 
made it easy to bring the war to an end, since the 
queen-mother had no wish utterly to destroy the 
Huguenot party. The peace, which was signed at 
Amboise, gave the Huguenots permission to hold their 
services in certain places. It was not enough to satisfy 
the Huguenots, but it made the Eoman Catholic party 
very angry. The two parties could not live in peace. 
In places where the Eoman Catholics were strong, they 
did not allow the Huguenots the liberties given them 
by the peace of Amboise, and where the Huguenots 
were strong, they took more than was allowed them. 
Catharine and her courtiers, who had no interest in 
the religious question, grew afraid of the Huguenots, 
because they saw that they wished for reforms in the 
governtaent as well as in religion, and that they found 
fault with the wickedness and extravagance of the 
court. Phillip il., king of Spain, the great enemy of 
the Eeformed religion everywhere in Europe, did his 
utmost to stir up Catharine against the Huguenots. It 
was clear that war must soon break out again, and the 
Huguenots began to get ready for it. 

It was not only in France that there was strife 
between the two religious parties. In the Netherlands 
too, there were many who followed the Eeformed 
religion, and they were driven by the cruel persecutions 



I70 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

of their Spanish ruler, Phillip ii., to take up arms. The 
German Protestants helped the Huguenots, and Queen 
Elizabeth of England sent them money, though she was 
afraid to put herself openly at the head of the 
Protestant party in Europe. 

Second Religious War, 1566. — The Huguenots 
began the second war. Their plan was to seize the 
young king and his mother, and so save them from 
the influence of the Cardinal of Lorraine. But the 
plan was discovered, and the court got safely to Paris, 
where the Eoman Catholic party was strongest. Mont- 
morency was killed in battle, and after this peace was 
again made for a time. But the Huguenots felt more 
and more that they could not trust to the promises of 
the court. The centre of their power was La Eochelle, 
a port on the Bay of Biscay. It had always been a 
busy trading city, and had managed its own affairs 
with little interference from the government. Now, 
most of its inhabitants were Huguenots, and for many 
years it was the chief Huguenot city. Jeanne d'Albret 
went there with her son Henry, whom she had brought 
up simply like a peasant boy on the slopes of the 
Pyrenees, and who was now fast growing into manhood. 
She was no longer safe in her own lands, since she was 
too near Phillip ii., the great enemy of the Huguenots. 
All the east of France was strong for the Huguenots. 
The court became more and more alarmed at their grow- 
ing power, and Catharine would not listen any longer 
to the wise advice of the old Chancellor L'Hdpital, but 
obliged him to give up his office and retire to the 
country. A great army was gathered together, and 
Henry of Anjou, the king's brother, was placed at the 
head of it, with a more experienced general to direct 



THE WARS OF RELIGION 171 

him. The Huguenots were defeated in two battles, 
at one of which, fought at Jarnac, Conde was killed. 
After his death, the young Henry of Navarre was looked 
upon as the chief of the Huguenots, and the young 
Prince of Conde went with him to the war j but both 
were mere boys, little more than fifteen years old. 
The real leader was Admiral Coligny, and the two 
Princes were sometimes spoken of as the Admiral's 
pages. Full of love for his religion and for his country, 
CoKgny had only joined in the war to save the land from 
worse evils, and he was unwilling to make peace, unless 
he could feel sure of the liberty, to win which he had 
begun the war. The two battles which they had lost 
did not take away the courage of the Huguenots. At 
the same time, Catharine and her friends saw that they 
could only crush the Huguenots with the help of Spain, 
and the old hatred of Spain was too strong to allow 
the friendship with Philip ii. to last long. Once more 
peace was made with the Huguenots, and La Eochelle 
and some other towns were left in their hands as 
pledges that they should be allowed liberty of worship. 
The Huguenot Leaders go to Paris.— Coligny 
was full of hope from this peace. The king, Charles ix., 
showed great friendship to him. Unfortunately, 
Charles's mind was so weak, that no trust could be put 
in him, but for the moment, he listened to Coligny and 
his plans for reform. It was proposed that Henry of 
Navarre should marry the king's sister, Margaret of 
Valois, and thus lasting peace be made between the two 
parties. The Huguenot leaders gained confidence in 
the court, and came to Paris full of hope for the future. 
Jeanne d'Albret was horrified with the wickedness of 
the life at court, and determined that her son should 



172 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

not live there after his marriage. But she had not 
long been in Paris, when she fell ill of a fever and died. 
People's minds were so suspicious that they accused 
Catharine of having poisoned her, but there seems to 
have been no truth in the charge. She was a great 
loss to the Huguenots, and specially to her son. Strong 
in virtue, she had tried to train him aright, but he had 
much of his father's love of pleasure, which often led 
him wrong in after life. 

The attempted Murder of Coligny. — Catharine 
did not like Coligny 's growing influence with the 
king. In her heart she cared for neither party so long 
as she was a person of importance herself. She was 
now willing to join in a plot with the young Duke of 
Guise to murder Coligny. Coligny knew well that it 
was dangerous for him to be in Paris amongst his 
enemies. But he pitied the weak young king from his 
heart, and wished to help him to rule wisely if he 
could. One day, just as he had left the king, and was 
going home through the street to dinner, a shot was 
fired at him. It was well aimed, but at the moment 
he chanced to turn a little aside, and the ball went only 
through his finger and arm, giving him an ugly wound. 
His friends were afraid lest the ball had been poisoned, 
but Coligny calmly said: 'Nothing will happen but 
what it may please God to order.' 

Massacre of St. Bartholomew, 1572.— That 
time he escaped, but a still more terrible plot was 
preparing. The Huguenot leaders were gathered in 
Paris, where the citizens had always hated them. It 
was a splendid chance for the Eoman Catholic party to 
rid themselves of their enemies. It is impossible to 
tell how the first idea grew up, but a plan was made 



THE WARS OF RELIGION . 173 

between Catharine, her son Henry of Anjou, the Guises 
and their friends, that on the coming festival of St. 
Bartholomew, the Eoman Catholics should rise in Paris 
and put the Huguenots to death. 

The king had been furious at the attempt to kill 
Coligny, and himself visited him on his sick-bed. But 
Catharine knew how easy it was to move her weak 
and passionate son. She told him stories about a 
pretended plot of the Huguenots, and how she and he 
were both in danger from them, till she made him more 
furious against Coligny and the Huguenots than he 
had been against Coligny's murderers. Charles IX. 
gave his consent to the proposed massacre, only Henry 
of Navarre, now his brother-in-law, and the Prince of 
Conde were to be spared. Everything was carefully 
planned. On the eve of St. Bartholomew's Day the 
gates of Paris were ordered to be shut, that none might 
escape, and the troops and citizens of Paris were bidden 
to be ready to obey the king's commands. The houses 
in which the Huguenots were lodged were marked with 
a white cross. The Eoman Catholics were to know 
one another by a white cross on their hats, and a 
handkerchief tied round their arms. The tolling of a 
l3ell gave the signal that the massacre was to begin. 

The Duke of Anjou, the king's brother, and the 
Duke of Guise themselves were to make sure that 
Coligny was killed. Coligny was alone in his house 
with his chaplain and a few followers. The noise in 
the streets woke him from his sleep, and soon warned 
liim of his danger. He rose and wrapped his dressing- 
gown around him and asked his chaplain to pray. 
Then when he heard that the soldiers had forced their 
way into the house, unmoved by fear, he said to those 



174 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

who were with him : ' For a long time I have kept 
myself in readiness for death ; as for you, save your- 
selves if you can.' They succeeded in escaping on to 
the roof and fled. Then the soldiers burst into the 
room, where the old man, still helpless from his wound, 
was sitting quietly waiting for them. ' Is not this the 
Admiral % ' cried one of them. ' I am he,' answered 
Coligny. Then the man struck him with his sword, 
and the others fell on him and soon killed him. Guise 
was waiting impatiently in the court below. ' Have 
you finished % ' he called out, and then that he might be 
sure, he bade them throw the murdered man out of the 
window; they quickly obeyed. Gruise bent down 
to wipe the blood from Coligny's face. ' I recognise 
him : it is he himself ! ' he cried, and then he kicked the 
face of the dead man, and gaily called on his soldiers 
to follow him, saying, ' We have begun well ! ' 

Meanwhile the bells were pealing forth the summons 
to the general massacre, and the Eoman Catholics 
raised the cry that the Huguenots were coming to kill 
the king. The fierce mob of Paris rose and fell upon 
the hated Huguenots, who were quite unprepared. 
Before long the streets, the houses, were filled with 
dead bodies. Even in the Palace of the Louvre itself 
Huguenot nobles were murdered. Margaret of Yalois, 
Henry of Navarre's young wife, was wakened from her 
sleep by some Huguenots rushing to her to save them. 
They were murdered in her presence, and her bed and 
night-dress were sprinkled with their blood. Neither 
learning nor high birth could save the Huguenots, and 
many of the most distinguished men in Prance were 
killed that day. The court ladies, with Catharine 
amongst them, feasted their eyes on the dead bodies, 



THE WARS OF RELIGION 175 

and heard with loud laughter of the success of the 
massacre. The Duke of Anjou himself took an active 
part in it ; and it is even said that the king, seeing 
from a window of the Louvre some Huguenots trying 
to escape over the Seine, seized a musket and began to 
fire at them with cries of ' Kill, kill ! ' 

From killing the mob went on to plundering, and 
many of the nobles enriched themselves in this way. 
Other cities, where the Eoman Catholics were strong, 
followed the example of Paris. It is impossible to 
know how many Huguenots were killed, but at the 
very least the numbers reached 2000 in Paris, and 
20,000 in France altogether. 

Death of Charles IX., 1574.— Such a terrible 
deed could not bring peace to France. Some Huguenots 
in their terror were willing to go to mass, but most 
held firm, and their preachers stirred them up to 
courage. Eochelle and some other towns held out, and 
an army was sent against them. But there was no 
confidence in the army ; many men shuddered at being 
with those who had shared in the massacre. Once it 
was said that drops of blood were seen under the dice 
which Guise had thrown in a game. Though many 
lives were lost, Eochelle could not be taken. In the 
court too there was much trouble ; every one seemed 
to be afraid of his neighbour. The king, who said he 
was determined now to govern for himself, was more 
passionate and changeable than ever. He could not 
get over the feeling that, because of the massacre, he 
was looked upon as a man with a bad heart. His rest 
was disturbed by terrible dreams and visions, and after 
growing slowly weaker in body, and more wretched in 
mind, he died at the age of twenty-four. 



176 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

Henry III., 1574-1584.— Charles ix. left no 
children, and was succeeded by his brother Henry. 
Henry was the favourite son of his mother, but un- 
fortunately he was not the man to be a good king. 
He was cruel and bloodthirsty, but he was neither 
brave nor active in bodily exercises; indeed, he had 
the manners and ways of a fine lady. He loved smart 
clothes, and wore jewels even in his ears. He had a 
passion for tiny dogs and parrots; he used to drive 
about in his carriage to collect little dogs, and would 
make their unwilling owners give them up to him. 
He surrounded himself with favourites, handsome young 
men who were as silly in their way as himself, and 
who were called by the indignant people his mignons. 
The mignons were always quarrelling, and even in 
the palace itself, it was quite common for men to be 
secretly murdered. At such a court, money was wasted 
in every kind of folly, neither could a king like 
Henry ill. win the respect of any one. 

The Huguenots found that under the new king they 
were still to be treated harshly. Henry of Navarre 
and young Conde fled from the court and called their 
followers to arms. They were joined even by the 
king's brother, Alen^on, v/ho was discontented at the 
way in which he was treated by his brother and mother. 
Henry ill. won back Alen^on again by giving him 
some provinces to govern, and peace was made with 
the Huguenots, who were again allowed to hold re- 
ligious services. 



CHAPTER XXI 

HENRY OF NAVARRE AND THE LEAGUE 

The League is formed, 1576. — The Roman 

Catholics were angry at the peace with the Huguenots, 
and the Guises were disgusted that they had so little 
power at court. They decided to bind themselves 
together in a league with the chief Roman Catholics, 
and not rest till the Huguenots were destroyed. This 
league was called the Holy League, and, as its head, 
Henry of G-uise soon became far more powerful than 
the king himself. The power of the League frightened 
Henry ill., and he thought it best to say that he him- 
self would be at the head of it, and would begin war 
against the Huguenots again. He had so little money 
that he could not pay his soldiers, and was soon forced 
to make peace. 

The 'War of the Three Henries. — In 1584 the 
Duke of Alengon, the king's brother, died; and as 
Henry III. had no children, Henry of Navarre, who 
belonged to the Bourbon family, which was descended 
from the sixth son of Louis ix., became the rightful 
heir to the throne. The League was not likely to 
recognise a Huguenot as the future king. G-uise made 
alliance with Philip ii. of Spain, who promised to help 
him utterly to crush the Huguenots. Henry ill. was so 

M 



178 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

disgusted with the little respect which the League 
showed him, that he thought of joining Henry of 
Navarre, who was willing to uphold his authority. 
But Guise won over Catharine, and she persuaded 
Henry III. to keep with the League. 

The war which followed is called the War of the 
Three Henries, because of the three princes who took 
part in it — Henry ill., Henry of Navarre, and Henry of 
Guise. Things looked very bad for Henry of Navarre, 
but the fact that Philip of Spain helped the League 
made other princes willing to help Henry. Queen 
Elizabeth sent him money, and the German princes 
sent him troops. He was a greater general than the 
Huguenots had yet had, and with a small body of 
troops won at Coutras the first battle in an open field, 
which the Huguenots had won in all these years of 
war, and thus made himself strong in the south of 
France. 

Henry of Guise in Paris, — The King meanwhile 
had found out that he was only a tool in Guise's 
hands. He was coldly received in Paris, where the 
people adored Guise. Henry of Guise was a handsome, 
energetic man, tall and strong, victorious in every exer- 
cise of bodily skill, the very man to be a popular hero. 
A scar on his cheek from a wound in battle had won him 
the surname 'Le Balafr6.' He was generous, courteous, 
and kindly even to the meanest of his followers. 
Compared to him, the king, with his fine clothes and 
his jewels, and his languishing ways, seemed a very 
poor creature. The Parisians did not stop to think of 
the ruin that might come to France from Guise's 
friendship with Spain. Henry ill. at least saw the 
danger, and hated the Spanish interference. He was 



HENRY OF NAVARRE AND THE LEAGUE 179 

so irritated with Guise that he forbade him to come to 
Paris. But Guise came all the same. The citizens 
welcomed him with enthusiasm, and defended the 
city against the troops, which the king had brought 
in, by throwing up barricades, that is, putting chains 
across the streets. Workmen, students, merchants, 
lawyers, joined together to make and defend the 
barricades, so that the troops were blocked in, and 
could not move down the streets. The king was 
obliged to beg Guise himself to quiet the people, and, 
as he could not feel safe in his own capital, he fled by 
the one gate of which he had the keys, to Chartres, 
and thence to Blois. 

Murder of the Duke of Guise, 1588.— Once 
safe away from Paris, the king hoped to show that he 
was still master. He ordered the Estates-General to 
meet at Blois, and bade Guise come there, that all might 
consider how to bring order into the land. Guise 
came, and, as if he were the ruler, treated the king 
with contempt ; the Estates-General too sided with 
him, and Henry felt that he could not be really king- 
as long as Guise lived. He decided to get rid of his 
rival by a crime. Guise had many warnings of his 
danger, but said haughtily that the king dared not 
touch him. One morning he was told to come and 
speak to the king, and as he passed through the 
antechamber leading to the king's presence, he was 
fallen upon by a number of armed men with cries of 
' Ah, traitor ! you shall die ! ' Henry ill. himself had 
posted the murderers in their places. Guise had not 
time even to draw his sword, but he struggled violently 
with his murderers, dragging them from one end of 
the room to the other before he fell dead. 



i8o A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

His brother the Cardinal was in the very next room, 
and when he heard the cries through the wall he ex- 
claimed, ' They are killing my brother ! ' He was not 
allowed to leave the room to go to help him, and was 
soon carried off to prison himself, and executed the 
next day. 

Henry III. is assassinated, 1589. — When the 
people of Paris heard of the murder of their favourite, 
they were filled with fury, and said they would no 
longer consider Henry as king. The League shut the 
gates of Paris against him, and took as its chiefs the 
Dukes of Mayenne and Aumale, brothers of the Duke 
of Guise. Henry had no longer his mother to help 
him; she had died a few days after the murder of 
Guise. He was obliged to make friends with Henry of 
Navarre, and together they marched to besiege Paris. 
The Parisians looked upon Henry ill. as the enemy of 
God and man ; and a half-crazy Dominican friar named 
Jacques Clement thought that it would be a noble deed 
to rid the world of him. He came from Paris to the 
King's camp at St. Cloud, and on pretence of having a 
letter to give him, was brought into Henry iii.'s pre- 
sence one morning before the king was quite dressed. 
Henry ill. took the letter, and as he was reading it, 
Clement stabbed him. The guards fell upon the friar 
and killed him at the king's feet. At first Henry did 
not think his wound was mortal ; but he died eighteen 
hours afterwards, naming as his successor Henry of 
Navarre. Henry iii., says a writer of the times, died 
leaving his kingdom and his subjects so poor and weak, 
that ruin might rather be expected than any improve- 
ment. This, he says, came rather by their faults and 
rebellions than by the fault of their king, who in good 



HENRY OF NA VARRE AND THE LEAGUE i8i 

times would have been a good king. But anyhow, it 
is certain that France suffered much from the rule of 
the Yalois. Under them the liberties of the people 
were crushed, and the monarchy became absolute, 
whilst the court became vicious, extravagant, and 
pleasure-seeking, a centre of corruption for the country. 

Accession of the House of Bourbon, 1589. — 
With Henry of Navarre, or Beam, began a new family 
of kings, the Bourbons. They owed their claim to the 
throne to their descent from one of the younger sons of 
St. Louis. It was a strange beginning for a new reign. 
When Henry entered the room where the dead king 
lay, he found groups of courtiers muttering under their 
breath, and daring to say, even in his presence, that 
they would rather submit to any enemy than accept 
a Huguenot king. Some of his advisers wanted him 
to change his religion at once, but he felt that this 
would lose him the confidence of all honest men on 
both sides. All he would promise to the Eoman 
Catholics was, that he would consider the matter, and 
call a council within six months to settle differences. 
He was accepted as king by the Huguenots and by a 
few Eoman Catholics who hated the League. But many 
nobles slipped away with their followers from the camp 
at St. Cloud, so that it was impossible to go on with 
the siege of Paris. Henry withdrew with his few faith- 
ful followers to Normandy, and captured Dieppe, so 
that he might be able to communicate with the queen 
of England and gain her help. 

Meanwhile in Paris there was wild rejoicing over the 
death of Henry in. The Duchess of Montpensier, 
Henry of Guise's sister, was beside herself with delight, 
and rushed through the streets crying, ' Good news ! the 



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HENRY OF NA VARRE AND THE LEAGUE 183 

tyrant is dead.' The Duke of Mayenne proclaimed as 
king the okl Cardinal of Bourbon, Henry's uncle. The 
Cardinal was a prisoner in Henry's power, and Mayenne 
meant to govern in his name ; he trusted to the help of 
Philip II. of Spain, who sent him troops and money. 
The violent Eoman Catholics of Paris and the leaguers 
were ready to give their country into the hands of the 
Spaniards, rather than own Henry as king, and 
Mayenne marched against him with a large army. 

Battle of Ivry, 1590. — Henry had entrenched 
himself with his little force by the Castle of Arques 
near Dieppe. Here we see him at his best. He was 
always cheerful and full of courage, though so poor 
that he hardly had food to eat, and with so few 
followers that it seemed as if he must be destroyed. 
For three weeks Mayenne tried to drive him from 
Arques, but in vain, and had at last to withdraw. 
More men now joined Henry, and he marched on Paris 
and burnt some of the suburbs, and then rapidly moved 
from town to town, helping friends and attacking 
enemies. Whilst he was besieging Dreux, Mayenne 
came from Paris to save the town. The two armies 
met in the plains of Ivry. Mayenne's army was the 
bigger, and it seemed as if the day was lost, when, cry- 
ing, ' Rally round my white plume ! ' Henry dashed into 
the thickest of the battle. The large white plume on 
his helmet became the ensign which his men followed 
in the fight. None could stand before them, and 
Henry gained a complete victory. 

Siege of Paris. — He marched at once on Paris 
and laid siege to the city, which was ill prepared to 
stand it. Food soon failed, but the courage of the 
people was kept up by the monks, who filled them with 



[84 



A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 



religious zeal, and by the Spanish ambassador, who sold 
his plate to buy bread for the poor, and cooked great 
caldrons of porridge outside his doors for the starving. 
Henry iv. allowed such starving people as wished to 
escape, to pass safe through his army. The people in 
Paris were in most terrible straits, living on dogs and 




HENKY rV. 



rats, and even on human flesh; at last, after more 
than three months of siege, Philip of Spain sent an 
army, under his nephew, the Prince of Parma, to help 
Paris. His coming obliged Henry rv. to retire to 
Normandy. 



HENRY OF NA VARRE AND THE LEAGUE 185 

Henry joins the Roman Catholic Church, 
1593. — Henry iv.'s cause was soon helped by divi- 
sions amongst his enemies. The leaders in Paris dis- 
agreed with Mayennej and many Frenchmen began 
to hate Spanish interference in their affairs. The 
old Cardinal of Bourbon died, and the League could 
not agree whom they should set up as king. The 
States-General were summoned by the League to 
meet at Paris, and the Spanish ambassador proposed 
that, in spite of the Salic law, Philip 11. 's daughter, 
whose mother had been Henry lll.'s sister, should 
become queen of France. When he added that she 
should be married to the Austrian archduke, the French 
understood the danger their nation was in, and the 
Parlement made a solemn decree that the Salic law 
must be respected. Every one was longing for peace ; 
all that was needed was a king whom all would accept. 
Henry iv. felt that the time was come when, if he 
would win the kingdom, he must become a Eoman 
Catholic. He asked to be instructed in the Eoman 
Catholic religion by some of the clergy, and declared 
himself convinced of its truth. To his intimates he 
said, ' Paris is well worth a mass.' He was not religious 
enough to feel the question deeply. But on the morn- 
ing on which he had decided to make what he called 
' the perilous jump,' he bade a sad farewell to his old 
friends the Huguenot ministers, and then went through 
gaily decorated streets to the Abbey of St. Denis. 
There the Archbishop of Bourges awaited him, and 
asked, 'Who are you^' 'I am the king,' answered 
Henry ; and when asked what he wanted he said, ' To 
be received into the Catholic, Apostolic, and Roman 
Church.' Then he made his profession of faith. 



i86 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

Crowds of people had come out of Paris to see the 
sight, and shouted ' Long live the king ! ' By degrees 
many of the party of the League joined him, and at 
last Paris was given up into his hands by its governor, 
in return for a sum of money. 

Submission of the League. — One by one the 
members of the League submitted to the king, but 
most of them were paid large sums of money for their 
submission. The Duke of Mayenne at last sought a 
meeting with Henry iv. He found him walking in his 
park, and Henry, after embracing him, began to walk 
him rapidly about the paths, pointing out the beauties 
of the place to him. Mayenne was very stout and 
heavy, and did not know how to get along as quickly 
as the king. At last Henry, seeing him all red and 
breathless, laughed, and held out his hand, saying, 
' Touch it, my cousin, for this is all the evil you shall 
ever receive of me.' 

Edict of Nantes, 1598. — The Huguenots were 
very angry when Henry joined the Roman Catholic 
Church ; but some of the wiser ones laboured to make 
peace, and the king, by the Edict of Nantes, gave them 
as much liberty as he thought possible. This edict 
allowed them to hold their services in a large number 
of towns, to fill public offices, and gave into their hands 
Eochelle and some other places of surety, where they 
might keep garrisons. It was not all that the Hugue- 
nots wanted, and it was much more than the Roman 
Catholics wished them to have, so it satisfied nobody. 
But it remained in force for nearly a hundred years, and 
did much to keep the country in peace and order. 

Peace of Vervins, 1598. — Henry iv. did not 
wish to leave to the Spaniards the strong places which 



HENRY OF NAVARRE AND THE LEAGUE 187 

they held in France, and by declaring war against 
Philip II. gathered round him those of all parties 
who loved their country. He was successful in driving 
the Spaniards out of France, and made them agree to 
the Peace of Yervins, by which they gave up every- 
thing they had won. 

Marriage of Henry IV. and Mary of Medicis, 
1600. — Now that there was peace, the next thing to 
be done was to bring back some order into the dis- 
tracted country. In this work Henry was specially 
helped by the Duke of Sully, who had been his com- 
panion from childhood, and became his chief minister 
and adviser. One of his first objects was to have the 
succession to the throne settled. Henry had no 
children by his wife Margaret of Valois; she was an 
utterly frivolous woman, and he had not even seen her 
for twenty years, so he desired to be divorced from her, 
which was done with the Pope's permission. He then 
married an Italian princess, Mary of Medicis. She 
landed at Marseilles with a train of ladies all in cloth of 
gold, so splendid that they quite outshone the French 
court. Henry met her at Lyons, but he did not find 
her very pleasing. 

He was a man of a warm heart, and as he never 
loved either of his wives, he sought pleasure by loving 
other women, on whom he wasted money, and to whom 
he allowed too much influence in affairs. 

Reforms of Henry IV. and Sully. — The long 
civil war had left France in a condition which made a 
strong government necessary, if there was to be order. 
Henry I v. made no pretence of alloAving the people to 
manage things for themselves. He summoned no 
Estates-General, but showed in everything that he 



i88 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

meant to have his own way. Sully was very clever 
at money matters, and lessened the expenses of the 
government, whilst he got in more money from the 
country. He did much to encourage agriculture j and 
the peasants, who had suffered terribly in the war, 
were once more able to till their land in peace. 

Henry iv. was much interested in manufactures, 
about which Sully did not care. The king insisted 
that mulberry-trees should be planted everywhere, even 
in the royal gardens, and silk-weaving began to flourish 
at Lyons. Manufactories of carpets, glass, and pottery 
were started. Henry also did much to improve the 
city of Paris, and added largely to the Louvre, which 
became a most magnificent palace. He kept under 
arms some regiments of soldiers, which were the 
beginning of the French standing army, though he 
still hired foreign soldiers for his wars. 

Assassination of Henry IV. — It was not to 
be expected that the land would settle down easily 
after all its troubles, and there were many who 
were discontented with the government. Plots were 
made against Henry, and several times in his life 
people tried to murder him. Spain was always his 
enemy, and tried to stir up his subjects against him, 
so that at last he decided to make war on Spain. 
Before he started for the war he went in his coach to 
say good-bye to Sully ; a block in the street stopped 
the coach, and at that moment a man named Ravaillac 
sprang upon the king, who was reading a letter, and 
gave him two blows with a dagger, so that Henry fell 
back dead. 

It is said that, that very morning, Henry had said to 
one of his courtiers : ' I shall die one of these days, 



HENRY OF NA VARRE AND THE LEAGUE 189 

and when you have lost me, you will know what I was 
worth, and the difference there is between me and 
other men.' He had done great things for France, and 
it would have been well for her if he had lived longer, 
and the crown had not again fallen to a child. 



CHAPTER XXII 

CARDINAL RICHELIEU 

LouisXIII., 1610-1643. — Henry iv.'s son, Louis xm., 
was not nine years old when he came to the throne. 
His mother, Mary of Medicis, succeeded in having her- 
self named Regent. She was a feeble woman, who was 
ruled in everything by her Italian foster-sister and her 
husband, the Count and Countess Concini. It seemed as 
if all the work of Henry iv. was to be undone. The 
nobles began to do as they liked, and would only submit 
to the queen-mother and Concini in return for large sums 
of money. The treasure collected with so much care 
by Sully was wasted on them, and when there was no 
more money to be got, they revolted and asked for a 
meeting of the States-General to reform abuses. They 
were bribed to make peace, and the States-General 
assembled. Its time was wasted by quarrels between 
the three orders of which it was made up, clergy, 
lords, and commons, and it separated without doing 
anything. 

Assassination of Concini, 1617. — Instead of 
carrying out the war which Henry iv. had planned 
against Spain, the Regent arranged peace by means of a 
double marriage. Louis xill. married a Spanish princess, 
Anne of Austria, and his sister was married to a Spanish 



CARDINAL RICHELIEU 191 

prince. The Huguenot party did not like this, and 
revolted, but this revolt also the Eegent put down 
by bribing its leaders. Concini's insolence disgusted 
every one with him, and his wife tried to stir up the 
young king, who had for some time been declared 
major, against his mother's favourite. Louis xill. was 
a dull and melancholy young man ; his mother and 
Concini had kept him from all share in the government. 
The man whom he . liked best was Albert de Luynes, 
whose business was to. take care of the birds which 
he used for hawking. Louis xiii. made a plan with 
Luynes and some other courtiers to get rid of Concini, 
who was shot dead one day as he was entering the 
palace. The king was quite proud of this murder, and 
said, ' Now at last I am king ! ' His mother was 
exiled to Blois, and Concini's wife was put to death as 
a sorceress. 

Luynes has the chief power. — After that 
Luynes had everything his own way, and used his power 
to get riches for himself and his family. Every one 
who was discontented gathered round the queen-mother. 
She kept her own little court, where men spent their 
time amusing themselves with brilliant fetes, and 
making plots against the government. Twice war 
broke out, but the rebels were easily put down. The 
Huguenots were also discontented, for they were hardly 
treated by the king. Beam, the native land of Henry iv., 
was altogether Huguenot, but there the king set up 
again by force Eoman Catholic worship. So the Hugue- 
nots throughout France, fearful of worse things, began 
to arm and to strengthen the towns, which had been 
given them by the Edict of Nantes. Louis xiii. and 
Luynes, whom he made Constable, marched against 



192 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

some of these towns. and took them, and treated the 
inhabitants with much cruelty. But Luynes could not 
take Montauban and La Rochelle, the strongest of the 
Huguenot towns. Every one abused him for his failure, 
and the king was growing very tired of his favourite, 
when Luynes caught a fever and died. After this 
peace was made with the Huguenots, and the Edict of 
Nantes was confirmed. 

Misery of France, — These useless wars had done 
no one any good ; the poor had suffered ; the treasure 
collected by Sully had been wasted. France seemed to 
be growing of less and less importance in Europe, since, 
without peace at home, it could play no part in the 
affairs of the world. It was the quarrels between the 
different parties in the land, the selfish aims of the 
nobles, the misery of the poor, which made it now 
possible, on the ruins of the liberties of the people, to 
build up a strong government, depending on the king 
alone. Louis xiii. was not the man to be a great 
king; he always had to lean on some one else. At 
last he found some one to rule for him who was able 
to make the power of the king supreme over every- 
thing in the land. 

The Cardinal of Riclielieu, — The man whom the 
king called tolhis council was the Cardinal of Eichelieu. 
He had come to court first as a follower of the Queen- 
mother, and though when she lost her power he had 
to leave the court for a while, he was such a use- 
ful, clever man, that the king was glad to have him 
back. Eichelieu was a true statesman. He knew from 
the first what he wanted to do. He explained his 
plans to the king with perfect clearness, and steadily 
carried them out. He meant to put down the Huguenot 



CARDINAL RICHELIEU 



193 



party, to put an end to the interference of the nobles 
with the government, and so to unite France at home, 
and make it able to resist the influence of Spain and 
Austria in Europe. 

To gain friends for France against Spain, he allowed 
a marriage to be arranged between Louis xiii.'s sister 
and Prince Charles of England, who was very angry at 
his failure to win the Spanish Infanta for his bride. 



m YKr\ ENTZ4 SVAVI TAS . 




Qu-i maLtt-Art ma,li,^ert temfsus arante, irCsx <£oior&.W: mi/cria/l maXa^ou.iArtbeni^VlcfaT'.eiUt. 



Dei" l/nQlvc^ tro^t- mih vnjdvlJ/e/ir 



2)em ruirtes ^jveima/il nocJi^ofaiiaer 



Deraber- trciot-ermit Geavl<7 



LA ROCHELLE. 



Neither in France nor England was the marriage of 
Charles and Henrietta Maria popular, since they did 
not belong to the same Church, and in the end it added 
greatly to the difficulties of Charles I. ; neither did it 
bring peace between the two courts. 

The taking of La Rochelle, 1628. — The 
Huguenots had made of La Eochelle an important 
trading town. Within its walls they were quite inde- 

N 



194 ^ FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

pendent of the French government, and settled their own 
affairs as they liked. Eichelieii determined to put an 
end to this independence. The people of Eochelle asked 
the English to help them, and the Duke of Buckingham 
landed an English army on an island in the harbour. 
But the French di'ove him away, and E-ichelieu caused 
the town to be completely surrounded. He had earth- 
works thrown up on the land, and across the mouth 
of the harbour a mighty mole was made, with a fort 
at each end, so that the English fleet might not get in 
or send provisions to the town. The courage of the 
besieged was admirable ; for fourteen months they held 
out, and resisted all attacks on their walls with the utmost 
bravery. But famine was a foe against which it was in 
vain to fight. The starving women and children were 
sent out of the town, but Louis xiii. was merciless, and 
would not let them pass his lines, but drove them back 
into the city. At last, of 30,000 inhabitants only 5000 
were left, too few and too weak to bury the heaps of 
dead who lay in the streets. Then they had to yield. 
Their walls were rased to the ground, their liberties were 
taken from them, and La Rochelle never recovered its 
prosperity. The other strong towns of the Huguenots 
yielded one by one. Peace was finally signed in 1629, 
and after this there was no other religious war in 
France. Eichelieu allowed the Huguenots liberty of 
worship, and treated them like other citizens, but they 
were no longer a power in the State. 

Richelieu puts down the Nobles. — As was 
natural, the nobles and courtiers Avere jealous of Eiche- 
lieu's power. Constant attempts were made to put him 
down. The Queen-mother, Mary of Medicis, the Queen, 
Anne of Austria, the King's brother, Gaston of Orleans, 



CARDINAL RICHELIEU 195 

all hated him, and helped the other discontented people 
in their plots. Richelieu was very severe to those who 
were found conspiring against the government. At 
different times several great nobles were put to death, 
and others thrown into prison. The Queen-mother, who 
had first brought Richelieu to court, had expected that 
he would do as she wished, and when she found that 
he paid no heed to her, she determined to ruin him. 
She came once to Louis xiii. when he was ill, and in a 
storm of tears and passion begged him to send away 
this ungrateful servant. The King promised to do as 
she wished, and every one thought that the Cardinal's 
fall was certain. Richelieu began to pack his goods 
and to prepare to leave Paris; the courtiers crowded 
to pay their respects to the Queen-mother, since they 
expected that now she would be the most important 
person in the government. But one courtier, who was 
wiser than the rest, showed the King what ruin he 
would bring if he gave way to the caprices of his 
mother, and advised Richelieu to come and speak to the 
King. When Richelieu arrived, Louis xiii. said to 
him : ' Continue to serve me as you have done, and I 
will defend you against those who have sworn yom^ 
ruin.' Richelieu was strong enough to punish those 
who had plotted against him, and the Queen-mother 
fled to Brussels, where she lived miserably under the 
protection of the Spaniards till her death. 

One by one Richelieu triumphed over all who tried 
to go against him. He also did much to put an end 
to the c[uarrels amongst the nobles and courtiers, and to 
the duels, which were very frequent, and were often 
little better than murders. The fortifications of many 
of the great castles of the nobles were destroyed ; and 



196 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

as Richelieu thought that it put too much power into 
the hands of any one man to make him Constable or 
Admiral, he did away with these two offices. Neither 
did he allow the lawyers who sat in the Parlements to 
interfere in public affairs. He sent royal officers, called 
infendants, into the provinces • to watch how justice was 
administered and taxes were collected. Thus more and 
more everything was managed by the central govern- 
ment, and the King's power made itself felt every- 
where. 

Foreign Affairs. — One of Eichelieu's chief aims 
was to make France a great power in Europe. Since 
the days when the Emperor Charles V. had ruled over 
Spain, Germany, and the Netherlands, these wide lands 
had been ruled by princes of the same family, the 
house of Austria, which was so great and strong that 
no other power in Europe seemed able to resist it. 
The way in which the Protestants were treated in 
Germany led them to rise against the Emperor, and 
thus began what is known as the Thirty Years' War 
(1618). At first things went badly for the Protestants, 
but when their cause seemed hopeless, help came to 
them from the outside. The hero of the North, 
Gustavus Adolphus, king of Sweden, for the love of 
the reformed religion, put himself at their head, and 
Eichelieu, after first helping them A^dth money, at last 
made France declare war against the Emperor. Thus 
Eichelieu, by his hatred of the house of Austria, was 
led to make friends with the Protestants in Germany, 
though he had put down the Huguenots in France. 
He and his allies were on the whole successful in the 
war, and it was then that France began to stretch her 
borders to the west, for Eichelieu was able to occupy 



CARDINAL RICHELIEU 197 

the land of Alsace mth his troops. France had been 
little thought of when Eichelieu began this war, but 
in it he had shown how powerfully she could interfere 
in the affairs of Europe. 

Death of Richelieu, 1642. — Eichelieu died 
whilst the war was still going on. He had raised 
France from the weakness into which the religious wars 
had plunged her, to be the first power in Europe. 
During the next century it was not the house of 
Austria but the house of Bourbon that led the affairs of 
Europe. But though Eichelieu did so much for the 
glory of France, he did not add much to the happiness 
of the mass of the French people. He needed vast 
sums of money, and he was not clever about money 
matters as Sully had been, so that the government 
was always in debt, and the people were very heavily 
taxed. It was the artisans and the peasants who had 
to pay all the taxes, and they were so miserably poor 
and wretched that they rose against the government 
several times, but were put down without pity. 

But if Eichelieu did not help the poor, in every other 
way he made France glorious. He was the friend of 
art and letters. In his time some of the greatest 
French ^vriters began to flourish, and he founded a 
famous institution, called the French Academy. It 
was a union of writers who were to watch over the 
purity of the French language; and to this day the 
greatest honour that can be paid to a French writer is 
to make him a member of the Academy. 

Eichelieu had done as he promised. Men feared him, 
but did not love him, and he could say with truth 
on his deathbed that he had had no enemies but the 
enemies of the State. Louis xiii. only lived five 



198 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

months after his minister. His chief merit is that he 
submitted to Eichelieu. He seems to have found life 
so tiresome, that his only wish was to get through the 
days with as little trouble as possible. 




JtiiWS OF LA ROCHELLE. 



CHAPTER XXIII 

EARLY YEARS OF LOUIS XIV 

Anne of Austria becomes Regent, 1643.— 

Louis xiii. had been married for many years before he 
had any children ; and his son Louis xiv. was only five 
years old when he became king, so that the land once 
more had to go through the troubles of a minority. 
The little King's mother, Anne of Austria, had herself 
named Regent. She had hated Eichelieu, but still she 
thought that the man who could help her best in the 
government was one of his followers, Cardinal Mazarin, 
an Italian. Mazarin was not proud and stern like 
Richelieu ; he lived quietly, and pretended to be very 
humble, and tried to win people by flattery. Worldng 
under Richelieu, he had learnt to understand foreign 
affairs, and so carried on the war successfully. Two of 
the greatest generals that France has ever had, helped 
to make the new reign glorious. These were Turenne 
and the young Duke of Enghien, known after his 
father's death as the great Cond6. 

The Battle of Rocroy, 1643. — Enghien was 
only about twenty years old, and full of the daring of 
youth. He came upon the Spanish army at Rocroy, 
near the northern border of France. It was believed 
that no one could vanquish the Spanish foot-soldiers, 



200 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

and they stood quiet, waiting to be attacked. Enghien 
dashed his troops upon them. Thrice the Spaniards 
drove them back, but the fourth time they broke and 
fled. This beginning was followed by other victories. 
Turenne, a more prudent general, was equally success- 
ful, and in 1648 the Emperor was obliged to make peace. 
This peace, known as the Treaty of Westphalia, brought 
the Thirty Years' War to an end, and gave to France 
the bishoprics of Metz, Toul, and Verdun, and all Alsace 
except Strassburg. By this war the power of the house 
of Austria was entirely broken ; France had now no 
rival to fear in Germany. The war between Spain and 
France went on still for some years. 

St. Vincent de Paul. — The war had lasted long 
and cost much money. Mazarin was not clever about 
money matters, and had no care for the sufferings of 
the poor, who were terribly taxed. In their misery 
they found one true friend, a priest named Vincent de 
Paul. He might have risen high in the service of the 
court, but he chose to serve the poor. He wandered 
through the land preaching and teaching, and bade the 
poor suffer in patience. He got others to join him, 
and gathered a society of women, called Sisters of 
Charity, to nurse the sick and teach the children. He 
also founded homes for orphans and deserted children, 
and for poor old people. 

The Fronde, 1648. — The people of the towns 
were not willing to put up with the heavy taxes. 
Mazarin was unpopular because he was a foreigner, 
and because he loved money and grew rich, whilst 
the State was ruined. In the midst of the general 
discontent, the Parlement of Paris tried to make itself 
important by going against the government and asking 



EARLY YEARS OF LOUIS XIV. 201 

for reforms. They raised an army to help them, and 
once more civil war began in France. This war was 
nicknamed at the time, the Fronde, which was the name 
of the slings with which boys played in the streets and 
which the police had forbidden. It was a foolish and 
childish war, in which no one really khew what he was 
fighting for, and men changed sides constantly. At 
first it was the Parlement and people of Paris against 
the court. The chief leader in Paris was the Cardinal de 
Ketz, a man who had been sent to help the Archbishop 
of Paris ; he could speak very well, and was a kindly, 
warm-hearted man, so that the people loved him. But 
he was not wise. Enghien, now Prince of Cond6, helped 
the court to get the better of the rebels, and then was 
angry because he did not think the court rewarded him 
enough. So he and many of the great people joined 
the rebels, and the young King, with his mother and 
Mazarin, had to flee from Paris and its neighbourhood. 
The wars of the Fronde lasted altogether four years ; 
the great ladies of the time, Cond6's sister and the 
King's cousin, took part in them. Peace was made 
once, or twice, and there was a good deal of fighting. 

Peace of the Pyrenees, 1659. — At last Cond6 
made himself hateful to the Parisians, who were glad 
to welcome back Louis xiv. and his mother, and 
Mazarin was again triumphant. Cond6 disgraced him- 
self by making friends with Spain, and gave several 
French towns into the hands of the Spaniards. But 
the government had another great general, Turenne, to 
fight for them; and Spain was so worn out with the 
long war that at last she consented to sign the peace 
of the Pyrenees, in 1659. This peace also added new 
lands to France ; Roussillon and Cerdagne in the south. 



202 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

and Artois in the north. Louis xiv. was married to 
Maria Theresa, daughter of the Spanish king, but 
agreed that the children that he might have, should 
never claim any right to the crown of Spain through 
their mother. This renunciation of the claim to suc- 
cession, as it was called, is important to notice, for later 
on Louis XIV. refused to abide by it, and so brought 
about a great European war. 

The peace of the Pyrenees brought great glory to 
Mazarin, and he kept his power till his death, two 
years after. The young King, though now old enough 
to govern for himself, was willing to be guided by 
Mazarin, and learnt from him to understand European 
affairs, and the great part that France might play in 
them. 

Death of Mazarin, 1661. — When Mazarin died, 
Louis XIV. surprised every one by saying, that he did 
not mean to have a chief minister any more, but would 
manage things himself. People had been long accus- 
tomed to see the King live in ease or pleasure, and 
let his minister govern for him ; they could not believe 
at first that Louis xiv. would be willing to prefer a 
life of work to a life of pleasure. But Louis xiv. had 
a great idea of the dignity of a king ; he thought that 
his power came from Grod, and that what he did must 
be right. At the same time he thought much of the 
duties of a king. He worked hard, arranging his time 
carefully, and meeting his ministers in council at fixed 
times. He demanded that he should be treated with 
great reverence, and it was impossible to flatter him too 
much ; but he was courteous to all, and his court set 
the example of those fine manners for which the French 
are famous. Gllory was the object of his life, and all 



EARLY YEARS OF LOUIS XIV. 203 

his efforts were directed to .make himself the great 
king of a great nation, which should take the lead in 
Europe. He succeeded, partly because of the labours 
of those who had gone before him, partly because the 
other Eui^opean nations were at that time, for various 
reasons, crushed and feeble, and partly because of his 
own abilities; but his success was the ruin of his 
country, since he laboured for glory rather than for 
his people's good. 

The young King was at once immensely popular. 
People were ready to believe everything that was good 
of him. He behaved with great caution at first, and no 
one could tell whom he meant to trust. Fouquet, the 
minister of finance, hoped that he would be the King's 
chief adviser. He used his office so as to gTow im- 
mensely rich himself, and he helped so many to grow 
rich in dishonest ways, that he was surrounded by 
friends. 

Jean Baptiste Colbert. — But Mazarin had left 
behind another follower, Jean Baptiste Colbert, a man 
of humble birth, who had raised himself by his own 
talents and industry. Colbert was honest in days when 
every official grew rich from public money, and he was 
so industrious that he is said to have worked sixteen 
hours a day. He was eager for the prosperity of his 
country, and, by studying the life and acts of Eichelieu, 
hoped to be able to copy the great man whom he 
admired. Mazarin had recommended him to Louis xiv., 
and Colbert knew well the dishonesty of Fouquet, and 
told Louis of it. Louis wished to see for himself the 
magnificence of Fouquet, and accepted an invitation to 
a fete at his great palace of Vaux. It was the wonder 
of the day — a park full of terraces and fountains and 



204 A FIRST HISTOR V OF FRANCE 

rare trees and flowers, containing a truly fairy palace 
full of marbles and statues and pictures. All the 
great artists of the time had helped to adorn it. A 
comedy by the greatest of French writers, Moliere, was 
played for the amusement of the King. But wherever 
he turned, Louis was offended by the device chosen by 
Fouquet : a squirrel, with the motto, ' Whither will he 
not rise 1 ' Indeed, the King was so angry with the 
arrogance of the minister that he very nearly had him 
arrested on the spot ; but he was persuaded to wait for a 
better moment. A fortnight after Fouquet was suddenly 
imprisoned. In his trial it was shown how he had robbed 
the State, and the wretched man was kept in prison for 
the rest of his life, which lasted nineteen years. 

Colbert now became the chief minister, and he was 
able to do much for the good of the country. He im- 
proved the ways of raising money, so that the taxes 
might not be so terribly heavy for the poor. He en- 
couraged trade and manufacture; many of the most 
famous industries of France, such as the Gobelins tapes- 
tries and the china of Sevres, were started by his care. 
He improved the roads, and made canals and new 
harbours. Before his day France had very few ships, 
either for trade or for war, and most of the French 
trade was done in Dutch ships. Colbert encouraged 
the building of ships both for trade and for war, and 
for the first time France had a great navy. In all 
these ways Colbert did much to increase the wealth of 
the country. It needed all his efforts to get enough 
money, for the King's wants could never be satisfied. 

Court of Louis XIV. — Louis xiv. made his court 
the most splendid in the world. All the great people 
in the land came there. This was not good for the 



EARLY YEARS OF LOUIS XIV. 205 

country, for the great lords lost all interest in their 
own estates when they no longer lived on them, and 
only cared to wring money from their farmers, so as 
to make a great show at court. The princes and 
princesses, who were related to the royal family, each 
had their trains of lords and ladies in waiting ; but all 
strove first to please the King, who was looked upon 
as the sun from whom came all the light of the court. 
Except during the hours when he was busy with his 
ministers, Louis xiv. lived amongst his courtiers, and 
shared their pleasures. Whilst he was being dressed 
in the morning, his room was crowded with those who 
wished to see and talk with him. He was gracious and 
friendly to all, and set an example of elegant and 
dignified manners. The chief pleasures of the court 
were gambling, dancing, and play-acting. Moliere, the 
great writer of comedies, lived in the days of Louis xiv., 
and many of his comedies were for the first time per- 
formed before the King. Eacine was another of the 
great dramatists of this time. Never before had there 
been so many great writers in France, and they were 
all encouraged and rewarded by the King, who liked 
to see clever men at his court. 

Versailles. — Louis xiv did not like Paris, and 
decided to make Versailles, where there was only a 
hunting-box, a fit home for his splendid court. Im- 
mense works were undertaken there, and since water 
was wanting for lakes and fountains, it was brought by 
wonderful contrivances from a great distance. The 
walls of the palace were covered with paintings, and the 
rooms were adorned with statues. The sums which 
Louis spent on this and other palaces were enormous, 
and helped in the end to ruin his people. 



2o6 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

War with Spain, 1667.— But it was not only 
for sucli purposes that Louis needed money; he was 
planning wars wliich were to give him new lands, and 
he was determined that every one should honour him as 
the greatest Idng in Europe. His first desire was to 
win from Spain some of its lands on the French border. 
These were that part of the Netherlands which we now 
call Belgium, which had been kept by Spain when the 
northern part, Holland, had freed itself from her after 
the religious wars; and Franche Comt6, a large province 
on the borders of France, south of Alsace. 

Lou vols makes the French Army.— -Louis xiv. 
was well prepared to make war. His minister of war, 
Louvois, had improved the army immensely. Louvois 
had no care for the real good of his country ; he was a 
brutal, violent man, but he was very hardworking, and 
eager to help the King to Avin glory. To him the first 
greatness of the French army is due. He it was who 
made all the soldiers wear uniforms, to show that they 
were all the servants of the same King. He would not 
allow the young nobles to be useless, idle ofiicers, but 
insisted that they should learn their business. He took 
care for the feeding of the troops, so that great armies 
could easily be moved about in France ; and there were 
always large numbers of soldiers ready to do the bidding 
of the King. Louis also had great generals to lead his 
armies. He himself went with the army which was to 
invade Flanders, and with him went Turenne, one of 
the best of his generals, from whom the King wished 
to learn the art of war ; whilst the great Conde led 
another army into Franche Comte. Everywhere his 
arms were successful. With the help of the engineer 
Yauban, one of the greatest men of his day, he took 



EARLY YEARS OF LOUIS XIV. 207 

Tille and the other border fortresses in Flanders. 
They were afterwards fortified with such skill by 
Vauban, that it was almost impossible for any invader 
to take them. 

William of Orange. — After a few months of war, 
Spain was ready to make peace on any terms ; but the 
other powers of Europe were frightened at Louis's 
success, and Holland formed a league with England and 
Sweden to help Spain. Charles 11. was then king of 
England. He was at heart a Eoman Catholic, and 
wished to be free from the control of Parliament, that 
he might declare his religion and do as he liked. 
Louis XIV. easily won him over to his side, and in a 
secret treaty promised to pay him a pension every year, 
so that he might be able to do mthout the money 
grants of Parliament. Sweden also was won over, and 
Holland was left alone to face the anger of the great 
King. At the head of a large army, Louis invaded 
Holland, which was soon reduced to despair, and 
offered to give up many places in return for peace. 
But Louis was not satisfied, and asked for more. Then 
despair gave the Dutch new courage ; they rose against 
their rulers, the De Witts, who were killed in a riot, and 
William of Orange was proclaimed Stadtholder ; he was 
the descendant of that other William of Orange who had 
saved Holland from the Spaniards. This young man 
was all his life to be the enemy of Louis xiv. At first 
he saved his country from the invader by cutting the 
dykes, which kept out the sea from those flat lands, so 
that the water flowed in everywhere, the towns became 
islands, and the French were forced to retire before the 
water. But William knew that he could not stand 
alone against Louis xiv., and from that moment he 



2o8 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

made it his business to raise up enemies to France in 
all the lands of Europe, so that the weak, by joining 
together, might grow strong enough to be able to resist 
the power of Louis Xiv. Spain and Austria joined in 
making war on France ; and even Charles ll, was forced 
by Parliament to make friends with William, and give 
him his niece Mary as wife. But though Louis was 
left alone he was almost everywhere successful. The 
war lasted for five years. In the course of it, Turenne, 
adored by his soldiers, who were ready to follow him 
anywhere, was killed in battle, and Conde, grown old and 
infirm, retired from the army. They were succeeded 
by the Marquis of Luxemburg and other generals. 

Peace of Nimeguen, 1678. — At last peace was 
signed at Nimeguen, and Spain had to give up Franche 
Comt6 and many towns in Flanders, which were fortified 
by Vauban so as to make a strong barrier for France in 
the north. This peace marks the most glorious moment 
of Louis XIV. 's reign. He now really felt that he was 
the sun whose rays were to lighten the whole civilised 
world, and that there would be no limits to his glory. 

Even in the time of peace he managed to add to his 
dominions. Magistrates were named to decide exactly 
the borders of the new lands given to France by the 
treaty, and they claimed towns and occupied them with 
French troops, just because no one was strong enough 
to resist them. The chief town gained in this way was 
Strassburg, a free German city in Alsace, with a famous 
cathedral. Louvois persuaded a number of men, who 
were friendly to France to open the gates of the city to 
French soldiers, and Louis xiv. went himself, followed 
by all his court, to take possession of this conquest, 
which he had made in full time of peace. 




F ra:n^ge 

at the deatli of 

LOUIS XW 



CreLghitaris FroziAa.-p. 208. 



Lcmgrnans, Q^en & Co..Lo-rh3x>TL,J:(e!w York & Bombcu^ . 



EARLY YEARS OF LOUIS XIV. 209 

Death of Colbert, 1683. — These wars cost mucli 
money, and the king's buildings and fetes took an 
immense deal more, and all this Colbert had to find. 
He had worked hard to pay the debts left by former 
ministers, and now he was obliged to make debts him- 
self. In vain he urged the king to spend less; all 
that followed was that the king grew angry with him, 
whilst the people hated him for the heavy taxes which 
he was forced, against his will, to lay upon them. Worn 
out by work and anxiety, he died in 1683, and was 
followed to his grave by the curses of the people. But 
he was the truest friend France had in those days, and 
to him the country owed the prosperity of the first part 
of Louis XIV. 's reign. 



CHAPTER XXiy 

WAR OF THE SPANISH SUCCESSION 

Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, 1685.— 
By the Edict of Nantes Henry iv. had given the Hugue- 
nots many privileges ; but Louis xiv. thought it neces- 
sary to his glory that in his land all should be of 
the same religion as their king. He allowed the 
magistrates and officials in the provinces to trouble the 
Huguenots as much as they chose. Colbert had done 
all he could to protect the Huguenots from persecu- 
tion, but when he was dead, and Louis xiv. had 
triumphed over all his enemies abroad, he determined 
to triumph also over the enemies of his religion at 
home. At first every possible way was used to force 
the Huguenots to change their religion; some were 
persuaded, others were bribed. Children were stolen 
from Huguenot parents, that they might be brought up 
in Roman Catholic convents and schools. Then Louvois 
invented a terrible way of forcing conversions. He 
marched his soldiers into the districts where most of the 
inhabitants were Huguenots, and lodged them in the 
houses, with orders to use every means in their power 
to compel their hosts to change their religion. In this 
way unhappy people were robbed, ill-treated, tortured, 
until in their despair thousands were ready to promise 



IVAR OF THE SPANISH SUCCESSION 211 

anything their persecutors asked. Some rose in revolt, 
and were put down with much cruelty and bloodshed. 
Great numbers fled from France, and though the borders 
and the sea-ports were watched to prevent their escape, 
despair showed them how to find a way. 

At last Louis decided to do away with the Edict of 
Nantes altogether, since, as he was told, most of the 
Huguenots had left their religion, and it was therefore 
no more needed. Henceforth the Huguenots were not 
to be allowed to have their own churches, or hold their 
own services, nor might they even be legally married. 
Then more and more of the Huguenots fled from the 
land where they could no longer find a home. They 
were the most industrious and intelligent part of the 
population, and they carried to other lands the clever 
hands and thoughtful heads which had done so much 
to improve the arts and manufactures of France. 
Thousands of French Protestants settled in Holland, 
England, and Germany. They taught their industries 
to the workmen of the lands which gave them shelter. 
France not only lost their work, but other lands were 
no longer forced to come to France for goods, which 
they now learnt to make themselves. It was natural, 
too, that the Huguenots should feel a bitter hatred for 
the king, who had driven them from their homes and 
country; and in the new lands where they settled they 
did all they could to help the enemies of Louis xrv. 
Thus the revocation of the Edict of Nantes marks the 
beginning of evil days for France. By it Louis made 
his own land poorer, and enriched the lands of his 
enemies, while he turned the most industrious and 
peaceful of his people into bitter enemies. He deceived 
himself, however, by thinking that he was adding to 



212 A FIRST HISTOR V OF FRANCE 

his glory by showing that in France there was one king, 
one law, and one religion. 
A new Coalition against France, 1688. — 

William of Orange meanwhile again succeeded in bind- 
ing the enemies of Louis xiv. together, and had a new 
reason of his own for making war. At the invitation 
of many leading Englishmen, he landed in England, to 
free the land from the evil government of James ii., his 
father-in-law. James found no one to help him, and 
fled to France, where Louis xiv. received him kindly, 
and promised to set him on his throne again. William 
and his wife Mary were made by Parliament King and 
Queen of England, and thus England was joined to the 
countries who combined against France. 

For eleven years the war lasted, and the French 
general Luxemburg won some great victories. He 
invaded Germany, and ravaged the country in the 
most cruel way, so as to make it impossible for the 
armies of his enemies to find food there. All the 
towns and villages in the district called the Palatinate 
were burnt, and the sufferings of the people made the 
name of Louis xiv. hated in Europe. At sea, the 
French fleet was defeated by the English at La Hogue, 
and this prevented Louis xiv. from doing much to 
help James ii. But on land, William was always 
unsuccessful against Luxemburg. 

Treaty of Ryswick, 1697. — France suffered 
terribly from the long war. Since Colbert's death no 
minister had known how to manage the money affairs ; 
the taxes were so heavy that most of the people were 
no better than beggars, and were not even able to 
cultivate the land. Louis xiv. at last felt himself 
obliged to ask for peace, and a treaty was signed at 



IVAR OF THE SPANISH SUCCESSION 213 

Ryswick in Holland in 1697, which obliged Louis to 
give up all that he had won since the last peace, ex- 
cept Strassburg, and to recognise William of Orange 
as king of England. 

War of the Spanish Succession, 1700. — Three 
years after this peace the king of Spain, Charles ii., 
died. This was a moment to which Louis xiv. had 
long looked forward. You will remember that when 
Louis married the king of Spain's sister, he promised 
not on that account, to claim any right for himself and 
his children to the Spanish succession. But in spite of 
his promise, Louis had got Charles II., who had no 
children, to make a will in which he named as his 
successor his great-nephew, the grandson of Louis xiv. 
and Maria Theresa. Louis xiv. paid no heed to 
his promise, and sent his grandson to Spain, where 
he became king as Philip v. Then Louis xiv. was 
able to say in triumph, *The Pyrenees no longer exist,' 
since a French prince was sitting on the Spanish 
throne. 

The Grand Alliance. — All Europe was terrified 
to see the importance of France so much increased, and 
once more William got the other powers to combine 
against Louis XIV., and to form what was called the 
Great Alliance. He did not live to begin the war 
himself, and finish the work of his life. But he left 
behind him a man who understood his ideas, and was 
better able than himself to carry on the war. This 
was the Duke of Marlborough, who was made General- 
in-chief of the English army by Queen Anne. The 
war which now began was the greatest of all the wars 
in which Louis xiv. was engaged. It was carried on 
at the same time in the Netherlands, in Germany, in 



rVAI? OF THE SPANISH SUCCESSION 215 

Spain, and in Italy. The English and the Dutch could 
not supply many soldiers, but they gave money to 
help to pay the armies of their allies. At first the 
French won some successes, but when they were going 
to invade Austria, which seemed to lie helpless before 
them, Marlborough, by a rapid march, put himself in 
their way. He was joined by the Austrian general, 
Prince Eugene, and together they utterly defeated the 
French army in the battle of Hochstadt, or Blenheim, 
on the banks of the Danube. 

It was the first time that Louis xiv.'s armies had 
been seriously defeated, and the court was plunged 
into despair at the news. Other defeats followed. 
Prince Eugene drove the French from Italy. Marl- 
borough drove them from the Netherlands, and in 
Spain too the allies were victorious. In France there 
was terrible distress. There was no money to pay the 
troops, no food for the people j the lackeys might be 
seen begging at the doors of the king's palace, and the 
ladies of the court ate black bread. At last the enemy 
invaded France itself. 

The Peace of Utrecht, 1713,— A terribly cold 
Avinter added to the miseries of the country ; the frost 
killed the olive-trees and vines in the south, and the 
fruit-trees in the north. The general distress forced 
Louis XIV. to humble himself and ask for peace. But 
the allies made such hard conditions that he could not 
accept them. Louis showed real courage in his mis- 
fortunes ; he called upon his people to help him in a 
last ejffort against his enemies, and the country answered 
to his call, and was willing to make any sacrifice. 
Before advancing farther into France, Marlborough had 
to take Lille and the other great towns which Vauban 



2i6 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

had fortified on the border, and this took two years. 
Meanwhile England was growing tired of the war, and 
Marlborough had lost his favour with Queen Anne. He 
was disgraced, and lost the command of the army, and 
England began to treat for peace with Louis xiv. 
Peace was signed with England at Utrecht in 1714, 
and with Austria in the following year. Louis' grand- 
son, Philip v., was allowed to keep the crown of Spain, 
but Louis XIV. had to give the Netherlands to Austria, 
and some of his colonies in America to England. Europe 
was no longer humbled at the feet of France. 

The last years had been very sad for Louis xiv. In 
1711, his only son, the Dauphin, had died. The next 
year the Dauphin's eldest son, the Duke of Burgundy, 
and his wife, who were both much beloved, and who 
were expected to bring happy days to France, died 
within a few days of one another. Shortly afterwards 
their eldest son died also, and their second son, the 
Duke of Anjou, a child of five years old, survived as 
the sole descendant of his great-grandfather, Louis xiv., 
with the exception of the king of Spain. 

Madame de Maintenon. — Louis xiv.'s old age 
was thus very sad. His queen had died many years 
before, and he had married secretly Madame de Main- 
tenon, a lady of the court, who was some years older 
than himself. He never owned her as his wife, but he 
used to spend many hours every day in her rooms, and 
discussed all the aftairs of his kingdom in her presence. 
She was a serious person, and professed to be very 
religious. She made the king also very devout, and 
the persecutions of the Huguenots were very much 
owing to her influence. The court grew much more 
quiet and serious. No one could hope to get on who 



PVAJ^ OF THE SPANISH SUCCESSION 217 

had not Madame de Maintenon's favoui', and she seems 
to have ruled the king pretty much as she liked. 

Death of Louis XIV., 1715.— The end of the 
war left the country in a miserable state. Vauban has 
given an account of it, in which he says that the tenth 
part of the people were beggars, and there were only 
10,000 families in the land who could live in comfort. 
It was in this sad state that Louis xiv. left his country. 
He died at the age of seventy-seven, after a reign of 
seventy-two years. In this long reign, France had 
passed through a period of great glory, which might 
have lasted longer if Louis xiv. had understood better 
the real interests of his people, and had striven less for 
his own personal glory. 

The splendour of the great days of Louis xiv. can 
never be forgotten, owing to the great poets and 
writers who lived in what is always known as the 
century of Louis xiv. His court was also adorned by 
some of the finest preachers whom the world has ever 
known, especially Bossuet and Fenelon, and other great 
churchmen famous for their eloquence and learning. 
The magnificence of the French court, and the great 
men who lived in it, gave France a great influence in 
Europe, and other countries and other writers looked 
upon France as the model of all that was elegant and 
refined. 



CHAPTER XXY 

THE DECAY OF THE MONARCHY 

Louis XV., 1715-1774. — Louis xiv. was succeeded 
by his great-grandson, Louis xv., who was only five 
years old when he became king. He reigned nearly 
sixty years, and this long reign was for France a 
time of misery at home and humiliation abroad. The 
vices and bad government of the Idng disgusted the 
French with the monarchy, just at a time when many 
clever writers and thinkers who arose in France, were 
teaching that all men should be free and equal, and 
that it was a hateful state of things which obliged all 
to submit to the will of one man and of his ministers. 
The evils of this reign helped to bring on a violent 
change in the French form of government. But the 
first causes of the change must be looked for far earlier, 
in the days when powerful kings and greedy nobles 
put down the rights of the people, and when Eichelieu 
and Louis XIV. made everything depend upon the 
will of one man. When power was in the hands of 
a man like Louis XV. the evils of such a form of 
government was clearly seen. 

The Regency. — Louis xv.'s mother was dead, and 
his nearest relation, Philip, Duke of Orleans, nephew of 
Louis XIV., had himself declared Regent. He was n 



THE DECA V OF THE MONARCHY 219 

clever man by nature, but spoilt by a vicious life and a 
mad love of pleasure. He cared nothing for religion, 
and had surrounded himself in the Palais Royal, where 
he lived, with a crowd of vicious and corrupt men who 
lived to amuse themselves. Louis xiv.'s court had 
been of late years very strict, and men had been forced 
to profess religion, even if they did not feel it. Now 
all was changed, and men might sin as openly as they 
liked. The Eegent let the chief power fall into the 
hands of a man named Dubois, who had been his tutor, 
and afterwards the sharer of his vicious pleasures. 
Dubois was a mean-looking little man, and it was said 
that all the vices fought in him, which should remain 
master. Little by little Dubois got the position of chief 
minister, and had himself made Bishop of Cambrai, 
and at last, by threats and promises, the Pope was 
forced to make him a Cardinal. 

Under such a government there could be nothing 
but misery for the country. At home there was suffer- 
ing from the heavy taxes and the evil means used to 
get money. In foreign matters the Eegent and Dubois 
went contrary to all the plans of Louis xiv. They 
made friends with England, and made war on Spain, 
though the Eegent's own cousin was king of Spain, and 
Louis XIV. had hoped that the countries would be so 
firmly united that henceforth, as he had said, there 
would be no Pyrenees. Spain fell so low that it was 
never afterwards able to take a leading part in Europe. 

Majority of Louis XV. — At thirteen the young 
king was declared of age to rule, but this made no 
change, and Dubois continued first minister till his 
own folly brought about his death. He posed as being 
as great a man as Eichelieu, and wanted to imitate 



220 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

him by reviewing in person'' the troops of the king's 
household. He did not know how to ride, and the 
troops were much amused by his absurd appearance. 
He was shaken by his horse in such a way as to receive 
a hurt from which he died. The Duke of Orleans only 
survived him for a few months, and died in 1723, 
having held the chief power for eight years. 

The Duke of Bourbon. — Even worse days were 
to follow. The only person for whom the youngjdng 
cared at all was his tutor, Fleury, a worthy old bishop. 
By his advice the Duke of Bourbon, a relative of the 
royal family, was made chief minister. He was a 
coarse, cruel, bad man. Under his rule all the old evils 
went on, and besides, the Huguenots in the south of 
France were persecuted with horrible cruelty. By the 
orders of a minister whose life was marked with every 
vice, the Huguenots were forbidden to hold their 
services even in their own houses. When they fled to 
desert places for prayer and preaching, they were pur- 
sued by the soldiers. They were not even allowed to 
die in peace, for they were forced to confess to a priest 
on their deathbed. Neither could they be married 
except by a Catholic priest, and he would refuse to 
marry them, unless they gave up their religion and 
cursed their Huguenot parents. 

Marriage of Louis XV. — The Duke of Bourbon 
did not like Fleury's influence with the king. He 
thought that if Louis xv. was married, he would per- 
haps listen more to his wife than to his old tutor, 
so he chose as mfe for him Maria Leczinska, the 
daughter of an exiled king of Poland. As she was a 
person of no importance, Bourbon expected her to be 
so grateful to him that she would help him in his plans. 



THE DEC A V OF THE MONARCHY 221 

But she was a quiet, gentle lady, seven years older 
than her boy husband, who never cared about her at 
all, and so she was of no use to Bourbon. 

At last Bourbon's government grew so bad, that 
Fleury made the king dismiss him, and he was exiled 
from court, to every one's satisfaction. 

Fleury Chief Minister. — Fleury now decided to 
manage things himself. He was an old man of sixty- 
three, and all he desired was to have rest for himself 
and for the country. His rule was not glorious, and 
the gay people at the court and the clever people in 
Paris laughed at him ; but economy made the country 
more prosperous, and the way in which trade and 
commerce revived during a few years of peace showed 
how rich France really was, and how happy the people 
might be if only they were well governed. 

War of the Polish Succession, 1733-1738.— 
But Fleury was at last forced to make war to put 
Stanislaus, the king's father-in-law, on the Polish 
throne. In this war France was successful, for though 
Stanislaus did not keep his kingdom, he was granted 
by the Emperor the duchy of Lorraine for his lifetime, 
and at his death Lorraine was to be added to France, 
which had always been the aim of Louis xiv. 

The War of the Austrian Succession, 1740. 
— Only two years of peace followed, before Europe was 
disturbed by another war. The Emperor Charles vi. 
died, and left only a daughter, Maria Theresa. He 
had got promises from the princes of Europe that they 
would let her succeed him in peace ; but as soon as he 
was dead, every one began to think what a good chance 
this would be, to get some of the lands of the house of 
Austria for themselves. The young French nobles 



222 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

were eager for war, and they persuaded Fleury to join 
the enemies of Maria Theresa and invade Austria. 
The English helped Maria Theresa, and in the course 
of the war, did much harm to the French navy and 
colonies. The only person who gained anything from 
this war was Frederick ii., king of Prussia. Prussia 
was just growing into importance. In 1701 the Elector 
of Brandenburg had been allowed to take the title of 
king of Prussia. Frederick ii. was the third king; 
he was a great general, determined to win new lands 
and power, and succeeded in taking the province of 
Silesia from Maria Theresa. 

During this war Fleury died, and Louis xv. declared 
that he would now govern for himself, and even set 
out to join the army. At Metz he fell dangerously ill, 
and for a time every one thought he would die. Then 
the old enthusiasm for their king arose again in the 
minds of the French, and w];ien Louis xv. recovered 
people in their joy gave him the surname, Bien-aime. 
He said when he heard it : ' What have I done to be 
loved like this % ' It would have been well for him to 
have died then, and not to have lived to earn the 
hatred of his people. 

Madame de Pompadour. — After his recovery 
the king joined the army, and was present when the 
French won a great victory over the English at 
Fontenoy. But no good came to the French from this 
success. Louis xv. had never loved his wife, but 
amused himself with the ladies of the court, and made 
favourites of them. At this time a lady named 
Madame de Pompadour managed to make him so 
fond of her that he was ready to do anything she 
asked. She was tired of life in the camp, where she 
had followed the king, and insisted that peace should 



THE DECA V OF THE MONARCHY 223 

be made. A congress was held at Aix-la-Chapelle to 
settle the terms of peace, and Madame de Pompadour 
told the French ambassadors that they must make 
peace, whatever was asked of them. So a peace was 
made, in which the French gave up all that they had 
won at the cost of so many lives and so much money. 

Seven Years of Peace. — For seven years there 
was peace in Europe, and though France was no better 
governed, and the manner of life of the king was a 
disgrace, yet the rich products of the land, the growth 
of its commerce and its colonies, made France prosperous. 
There were many great French writers living then, 
chiefly philosophers, men who discussed the evils of the 
time, the laws of the mind and of nature, and who 
sought for truth without respect either to the old laws 
or to religion. Chief amongst these men was Voltaire, 
who was admired by all Europe, and foreigners crowded 
to France to see him and the other philosophers. These 
writers were several times imprisoned, and their books 
condemned by the government, because their teaching 
went against religion. But men naturally sympathised 
with them rather than with the government, for the 
conduct of the king and his ministers showed that, 
though they might profess to honour religion, they did 
not obey its laws. 

The Seven Years' 'War, 1756. — Peace did not 
last long, for Maria Theresa could not rest whilst Silesia 
remained in the possession of Frederick ii., and the 
English were watching with jealousy the growth of the 
French colonies in Canada and India. Maria Theresa 
asked Louis xv. to join with her in making war on 
Frederick 11. She won over Madame de Pompadour by 
writing to her with her own hand, flattering her, and 



224 -^ FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

calling her 'my cousin.' So Madame de Pompadour 
made Louis xv. agree to help her, and England joined 
with Prussia. This war is called the Seven Years' War 
It brought nothing but loss for France. The French 
had no general equal to Frederick ii., and the generals 
whom they had could not do their best, for Madame de 
Pompadour directed from Paris the movements of the 
army. English affairs were at that time managed by the 
great minister Pitt, and under his care all went well for 
England. By the famous battle of Quebec, Wolfe, the 
English general, won Canada from the French ; whilst 
in India, Clive little by little destroyed the power of the 
French, and won that great empire for the English. 
Both in Canada and in India, the French had wise 
and great men as rulers, who aimed at founding mighty 
colonies for France. But they got no support or help 
from the government, but rather hindrance, and thus it 
was through the bad rule of Louis xv. that France lost 
her colonies. 

Treaty of Paris, 1763.— The war was brought 
to an end by the treaty of Paris, in which France gave 
up all her colonies. It left France poor and humbled, 
with a ruined navy. The state of the country was im- 
proved during the next ten years by the chief minister, 
Choiseul. He owed his place to the protection of 
Madame de Pompadour, but he tried honestly to do 
his best for the country. He improved the army and 
the navy, and tried to found a new French colony in 
Guiana; but his plans were so badly carried out by 
those to whom he trusted them, that the attempt was a 
failure. 

Madame de Pompadour died, but Choiseul still kept 
his power. But after a while the king, who cared for 



THE DEC A V OF THE MONARCHY 225 

nothing in life but his vile pleasures, alloM^ed some of 
his worst courtiers to turn him against Choiseul. He 
wrote a letter to Choiseul, in which, without a word of 
thanks for his services, he exiled him to his estates. 
So much was the king despised, that the greater 
number even of his courtiers sided with the minister 
and left the court. 

Death of Louis XV. — The ministers who suc- 
ceeded Choiseul brought the government into confusion 
and contempt. When the Parlement of Paris and some 
of the Parlements in the provinces tried to oppose them, 
the ministers broke up the Parlement and exiled its 
members. There remained really nothing that could 
be called government. Louis XV. did not care what 
happened; he said that the existing state of things 
would last as long as he did. At last, in 1774, his 
wretched reign came to an end, and he died hated and 
despised by every one. 



CHAPTER XXYI 

THE LAST DAYS OF THE MONARCHY 

The condition of France. — You have seen how 
in France by degrees the power of the monarchy grew, 
until Eichelieu and Louis xiv, made all the govern- 
ment centre in the hands of the king. The result 
was that under a king like Louis xv., the country 
was left without any government at all. Every one 
felt that reforms were needed, but there was much 
difference of opinion as to the kind of reforms. The 
teaching of the philosophers had had a great deal of 
influence, and people began to look upon the privileges 
of the nobles as absurd. The nobles in France were 
very different from the English nobles. In France all 
the sons of a nobleman were noble, so that they never 
got mixed up with other people as they do in England, 
where the younger sons of a noble are commoners. 
The French nobles were what is called privileged ; they 
were exempted from most of the taxes, and since 
Louis XIV. had taken all the government into his own 
nands, they had no duties, and lived only to amuse 
themselves. For the most part they led very bad lives, 
and did nothing to help the almost starving peasants, 
\yho toiled in rags and misery on their lands. 



THE LAST DA YS OF THE MONARCHY 227 

The Church. — The clergy were little better. All 
the great posts in the Church were kept for the younger 
children of the nobles. Men were made bishops and 
abbots, and ladies were made abbesses, not because 
they were fit for the post, but only because they were 
noble, and some great place had to be found for them. 
They had large incomes, but the country clergy, who 
worked hard and were often pious and earnest men, 
were miserably poor. The clergy, too, were privileged, 
and had to pay very few taxes. 

The People, — Heavy taxes and bad laws had 
plunged the great mass of the people into misery. 
Though the soil was rich, the taxes made it impos- 
sible for the farmer to make any profit. Bread was 
dear and scarce, and famine was frequent. Whilst the 
privileged classes lived in idleness and luxury, the 
working classes toiled and starved. 

The philosophers had been busy teaching men by 
their writings and their words, how these things could 
be changed. The young men in the land who could 
read and think were full of their ideas. Only leaders 
were needed to show how the changes could be made. 

Louis XVI., 1774. — Louis xv. was succeeded by 
his grandson, Louis xvi., a young man of twenty. He 
had never expected to come to the throne, and had 
spent his days in harmless amusements. His favourite 
occupations were hunting and working with a black- 
smith at making locks. He had been married when 
he was very young to Marie Antoinette, one of the 
daughters of the Empress Maria Theresa. The 
French had long been accustomed to look upon the 
Austrians as their enemies, and they did not like this 
marriage, nor did Marie Antoinette behave in a way 



228 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

to win their love. She was bright and lively, and bent 
on amusing herself. She took violent fancies to some 
people, and strong dislikes to others. She expected 
her wishes to be gratified immediately; and her ex- 
travagance added to the difficulties of the ministers in 
finding money for the expenses of the court. She did 
not like the ceremonious ways of the French court, 
where everything was decided by strict rules of 
etiquette, and she behaved with a freedom which 
ofiended French taste. At her favourite country-house, 
called Petit Trianon, she liked to play at being a 
farmer's wife. She gave open-air f^tes, at which she 
used to dress herself as a shepherdess and drive a flock 
of white sheep adorned with ribbons. Her proud spirit 
made her refuse to listen to any advice, and she was 
determined to have her own way at any cost. The king 
was altogether under her influence. He was a good, 
well-meaning man, and he mshed to govern well, but he 
was weak and indolent. Marie Antoinette had a much 
stronger will than he, and was able to twist him as she 
liked. If people would only leave him alone and let 
him hunt and make locks he was quite content. Some 
of the locks he made may still be seen at Versailles. 

Ministry of Turgot. — Amongst his first ministers, 
Louis XVI. chose Turgot, one of the wisest thinkers of 
the times. He knew what thorough changes were 
needed to make France prosperous, and he set to work 
at once to try and make them. He wished to do away 
with the absurd old rules which made it impossible 
to carry corn for sale from one part of France to 
another, so that bread was often dear and scarce in 
some parts, whilst there might be plenty in others. 
But few people could understand his plans ; and when 



THE LAST DAYS OF THE MONARCHY 229 

he began to interfere with the privileges of the nobles 
they complained loudly to the king. The queen did 
not like him, because he was always urging economy, 
and Louis xvi., who did not like to be troubled, at last 
determined to dismiss Turgot, though he had promised 
to stand by him in all his reforms. 

Ministry of Necker. — Louis xvi. next called a 
Swiss banker named Necker to manage his finances. 
Necker was an honest man, and clever in banking 
business. He did not understand the needs of France 
as Turgot did, but he tried his best to keep things in 
order without making any startling changes. For five 
years he kept his office, and this gave France a little 
rest. 

It was at this time that the English colonies in 
America, led by George Washington, revolted against 
the English rule. They sent to ask help from France. 
The French philosophers, who were always talking and 
writing about liberty, were full of sympathy with the 
rebels, and the king thought it a splendid opportunity 
for humbling England. So French troops were sent to 
help the Americans, and young Frenchmen fighting 
under Washington's leadership learnt a new love of 
liberty. One young nobleman, the Marquis of Lafayette, 
left the French court only a few days after his marriage 
that he might go and fight by the side of Washington. 
In this way some, even of the French nobility, were 
made to feel that the old state of things to which they 
were used in France could not last for ever. In 1783 
peace was signed at Versailles, and England was obliged 
to recognise the independence of the United States. 

This war had cost a great deal of money. Necker 
got an idea that it would be well to let people know 



230 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCF 

liow the finances of the government were managed, 
and in this way to increase their confidence in him. 
He therefore published a report of the finances. This 
excited much indignation. In France it had been the 
custom to keep these things quite secret; now, it was 
said, Necker wished to imitate the English, and make 
the king only the servant of his subjects. Necker was 
obliged to leave the ministry. 

Ministry of Calonne. — The next minister of the 
finances, Calonne, soon got things into worse confusion 
than ever. He said it was best at any rate to appear 
rich. He borrowed enormous sums of money for the 
expenses of the court, and spent money, too, in making 
canals, and ports, and roads. At last no one would 
lend him any more money, and then he, too, began to 
talk of reforms. 

A meeting of the nobles was called together to con- 
sider his reforms. But they agreed in nothing but 
in attacking Calonne, who was at last dismissed by the 
king. One of his opponents succeeded him, and did 
no better. People began to say that the only way to 
mend matters was to summon the States-General, which 
had not met since 1614, and to let the nation itself 
decide what reforms were needed. At last, in 1788, 
Louis XVI. decided to bring back Necker, in whose 
cleverness people had great confidence, and to call 
together the States-General. 

The Elections. — During the winter which followed, 
the whole country was busy with the elections of the 
men who were to form the States-General. The nobles 
chose those who were to represent them, and so did the 
clergy. The third estate was made up of the great 
mass of the people, the lawyers, doctors, tradesmen, 



THE LAST DA YS OF THE MONARCHY 231 

and working men. They also chose men to represent 
them. Besides this, the electors in the different districts 
drew up lists of their grievances, and of the reforms 
which they wished their representatives to ask for. 

Meeting of the States- General, 5tli May 
1789. — The States-General met at Versailles, and were 
opened by the king. Every one, even Lords himself, 
was full of hope that a new and better state of things 
was going to begin. But before anything could be 
done, there were some important points to be settled. 
The reformers felt that if each of the three estates, that 
is, the clergy, the nobles, and the people, were to sit 
separately, none of the changes which they wanted 
could be carried out, for the clergy and the nobles 
would never agree to the changes proposed by the third 
estate. They demanded that all the three estates 
should sit together; then the Liberals, or reforming 
party, would be in the majority. Louis would not 
agree to their demands, and the third estate declared 
that they would do nothing alone. The man who at 
once showed that he was most fit to be their leader 
was himself a noble, the Marquis of Mirabeau. He 
had, led a wild youth, and the nobles would not elect 
him as one of their representatives ; but his eloquence 
and his sympathy with their needs had won for him 
the favo1|r of the people, and he had been chosen as a 
deputy by the third estate. No one was so fit as he to 
be their leader; he understood what was needed, he 
could speak and write splendidly, was a great reader, 
and a man who knew the world. 

The Tennls-Court Oath. — Under his guidance 
the third estate now declared themselves the National 
Assembly, and invited the clergy and the nobles to 



232 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

join them. The nobles and clergy were indignant at 
this act of independence, and the king took their part. 
He said he would come down and tell the States- 
General what they were to do. Meanwhile the third 
estate were shut out from their hall. They were in 
great excitement, and went together to a neighbouring 
tennis-court. There, with one voice, they swore that 
whatever happened they would not separate till they 
had given France a Constitution. You must understand 
that they had at this time no wish to do away with the 
king. They only wished that in France, as in England, 
there should be laws according to which the king must 
govern, and that the people should have a share in the 
government, so that no longer everything should be 
decided by the Idng's will alone. The third estate 
were joined by a few of the nobles who sympathised 
with them, and by many of the parish priests. 

The Idng did not understand how determined they 
were. Three days afterwards he came down in state 
to the States-General, and told them that the three 
estates were to sit and vote separately, and that they 
were only to busy themselves with considering the 
state of the finances. He then bade them retire and 
meet the next day in their separate halls, and with 
these words he left. Most of the nobles and the chief 
clergy followed him. The members of the third 
estate, with their friends from the other orders, kept 
their seats. The Idng's master of the ceremonies 
asked their president whether he had heard the Idng's 
order. Mirabeau answered for him that they had 
heard the words which had been put into the Idng's 
mouth, but that they would not leave their seats except 
at the bayonet's point. When the king was told that 



THE LAST DA YS OF THE MONARCHY 233 

they would not go, -he said, ' Very well, leave them 
alone.' He was too weak to keep to any purpose for 
long. After a few weeks, when he saw how deter- 
mined the people were, he even asked the clergy and 
nobles to join the third estate, and thus at last the 
three estates were united, and called themselves the 
National Assembly, 



CHAPTER XXVII 

THE REVOLUTION 

Dismissal of Necker. — The queen and the court 
vfere terrified at the power of the Assembly. They 
wished the king to be ready to use force against them. 
Louis listened to their persuasions, and ordered some 
Swiss and German troops, who were in his pay, to be 
quartered round Paris and Versailles, that their 
presence might keep the Assembly and the excited 
citizens of Paris in order. At the same time Louis 
also dismissed Necker, since he was tired of his advice, 
and the queen and her friends hated him. 

The Capture of the Bastille. — In the garden of 
the Palais Eoyal, a palace belonging to the Duke of 
Orleans, the king's cousin, in Paris, men use to gather 
to discuss the questions of the day. Great was the 
excitement when a young man named Camille Des- 
mouhns jumped upon a table in the middle of the 
garden and shouted out : "' Citizens ! they have driven 
Necker from office. To arms ! ' Soon all Paris was in 
an uproar. The people robbed the bakers' shops and 
the T\dne-shops, and carried off arms from the gun-shops 
and the military storehouses. After three days' dis- 
turbance, the fury of the people was turned against 
the great fortress and prison called the Bastille, in the 



THE REVOLUTION iy^ 

centre cf Paris. Ifc was connected in the people's 
minds with the tyranny of the monarchy, since prisoners 
had frequently been sent there, at the mere command 
of the king, never to be released again. There 
was but a small body of soldiers in the Bastille, but 
its walls were so thick that it seemed impossible for a 
mere mob to take it. But after it had been attacked 
for five hours by thousands of the lowest people in 
Paris, the soldiers within refused to hold it any longer, 
and forced the governor to surrender. Then the mob 
swarmed into the Bastille ; they let out the prisoners 
who were there, who were only seven in number. 
One of them had been there for thirty years, but did 
not know for what reason. At first the mob spared 
the governor's life, but afterwards he was killed in the 
streets, and his head was carried on a pike in triumph. 

The National Guard is formed. — Louis xvi. at 
Versailles was filled with alarm Avhen he heard v/hat 
the mob had done. Some of the leading courtiers fled 
from France, and the Idng agreed to recall Necker and 
send away the troops from the neighbourhood of Paris. 
To keep order in Paris the citizens raised a force from 
amongst their own number, to which the name National 
Guard was given. They chose the young and popular 
nobleman, the Marquis of Lafayette, who had fought 
with Washington in America, to be its commander-in- 
chief, and a cockade made of red, white, and blue was 
taken as the distinguishing mark of its members. 
The citizens of Paris had no government of their own, 
but now they determined to have a mayor and a town 
council, and chose a man named Bailly, a learned 
mathematician, to be their first mayor. 

As Louis was not able to prevent the people of Paris 



236 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

from doing as they liked, he thought it best to seem to 
approve their doings, and he decided to pay a visit to 
Paris. He was received by Bailly, the mayor, and in 
the sight of thousands of the people he fixed a tricolor 
cockade on his hat, whilst every one shouted * Vive le 
Eoi ! ' or ' Vive la nation ! ' They still hoped that the 
king would be the head of a new government, which 
was to bring peace and prosperity to France. 

The provinces followed the example of Paris. Every- 
where prisons were attacked, national guards organised, 
mayors chosen. No one paid any heed to the royal 
officials. The peasants gathered together in bands, and, 
armed with pikes, attacked the castles of the nobles. 
Their chief object v/as to burn the papers on which 
were written the services which their lords demanded 
from them, but they often went on to burn and plunder 
the castles, and sometimes to kill their owners. Many 
cruel deeds were done in revenge of centuries of oppres- 
sion, and there was no one with sufficient authority to 
keep order. 

When the Assembly at Versailles heard of the 
disorders throughout the land, as well as of the 
general sympathy shown to the revolutionary move- 
ment, they felt that they must no longer hesitate, but 
must go on with the work which they had begun. 
On the night of the 4th August 1789 they abolished 
all the privileges of the nobles and the clergy, and 
declared all men equal before the law. But this did 
not bring order into the country ; the disturbances 
continued, bread was very dear and scarce, and there 
were frequent riots caused by hunger. In Paris, ex- 
cited men formed themselves into clubs, where they 
discussed all the changes they desired. Numbers of 



THE REVOLUTION 237 

newspapers were published daily, full of the most 
violent proposals. There was a general idea that if 
only the king and the Assembly could be brought to 
Paris, bread would be cheap, and everything would 
go well. 

The King is brought to Paris.— Early in the 
morning of the 5th October thousands of hungry 
women collected in the market-place crying aloud for 
bread. Some one proposed that they should go to 
Versailles and carry their demands there. They at 
once set off to walk, followed by a large mob col- 
lected from all parts of Paris. Lafayette was ordered 
to follow with his National Guards so as to keep 
order. 

The weather was wet, and the women reached 
Versailles in the afternoon, covered with mud. Some 
went to the palace, others to the hall where the As- 
sembly was sitting, all clamouring for bread. Lafayette 
and his guards did not arrive till midnight. He set 
watches at the palace gates, but at daybreak some of 
the mob forcedtheir way into the palace, after killing two 
of the royal guards. They nearly reached the queen's 
bedroom, but she fled for her life to the king's rooms. 
Then the crowd gathered in front of the palace, shouting 
' The king to Paris ! ' Louis xvi. stepped out on a 
balcony mth the queen, to show that he consented. 
Then the mob set out to return in triumph to Paris, 
taking the king and queen and their children with 
them. They shouted that now they would have bread 
in plenty, since they were bringing the baker and the 
baker's wife and boy. The royal carriages followed the 
mob, protected by the National G-uards. 

The royal family were taken to the Tuileries, and 



238 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

the Assembly, which now followed the king, held its 
meetings in one of the riding-schools of the palace. 

The Constitution.— For a while Lafayette was 
the hero of Paris, and he and his National Guards 
kept order in the city. The National Assembly de- 
voted itself to discussing a Constitution : that is to say, 
a set of laws and customs according to which France 
should in future be governed. They took away from 
the king the right to make laws, to fix taxes, to decide 
peace and war. All titles were done away with • hence- 
forth the nobles were to be simply citizens. No one 
was to suffer any constraint on account of his religion, 
but Jews as well as Huguenots might serve in any 
office in the state. The old division of the country 
into provinces was done away with. The various 
provinces had different rights and customs, and even 
different laws; and trade could not be freely carried 
on between them, for customs and tolls had to be paid 
on their borders. Now the whole land was divided 
into eighty-three different departments, named generally 
from the rivers which watered them, aiid as nearly as 
possible of the same size^ In future each district was 
to be governed in the same manner, by persons elected 
by the people themselves. In this way everything 
would no longer depend upon the central government 
and the officials it sent out. New law courts were 
set up instead of the old parlements. Neither was the 
Church left alone ; all its property was taken away for 
the use of the State, and henceforth all the clergy were 
to be paid by the government. The bishops were to 
get less, and the parish priests more, than before. 

Fete of the Champ de Mars, 1790.— On the 
14th July, the anniversary of the day on which the 



THE REVOLUTION 239 

Bastille had been taken, a great fete was held in Paris. 
Deputations of the National Guards from all parts of 
France were invited to it. In the middle of a great 
open space (called the Champ de Mars) an altar was 
raised. Here Lafayette, the commander-in-chief of all 
the National Guards, took an oath to observe the new 
Constitution. Thousands of voices were raised to take 
the oath after him. Then the king himself in a clear 
voice took the oath. The queen lifted the Dauphin in 
her arms and showed him to the people, as if to say 
that he too took part in his father's oath. It had been 
raining before ; but at this moment the sun pierced the 
clouds and lit up the altar where the Te Deium was 
chanted. Cannon thundered, banners waved, and the 
whole immense crowd seemed inspired with one feeling 
of hope and brotherly love and enthusiasm. In the 
evening there were fetes in different parts of Paris. 
Brilliant lights lit up the place of the Bastille, and gay 
crowds danced where once the gloomy fortress had 
stood. 

Difficulties of the Revolution. — Unfortunately 
a new Constitution could not at once bring prosperity 
and good government. What was needed was a strong 
hand to keep order ; but the ministers were feeble and 
useless. Necker, from whom so much had been hoped, 
had shown himself quite unable to bring back order 
into the finances, and the government was more hope- 
lessly in debt than ever. Lafayette, as commander-in 
chief of the -National Guards, was perhaps the most 
powerful man in France, but he was not one who 
could lead in troubled times. He was vain, and loved 
popularity, and he liked to be seen and admired by 
every one as he rode on his white horse through the 



240 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

streets of Paris. The one man who really understood 
the needs of the moment was Mirabeau. He saw that, 
if the country was to be prosperous, order must be kept, 
and that, though it was well that privileges had been 
done away with, and rights of self-government given 
to the people, yet the power of the king, as centre of 
the government, must be maintained. Secretly he 
sent his plans to the court, and hoped to get the king 
and the ministers to follow his advice. Louis himself 
was too feeble to take any lead; Marie Antoinette 
really managed everything. Unfortunately she could 
never bring herself to trust Mirabeau, partly because 
of his former wild life, and partly because she hoped 
that, with the help of foreign troops, it would still be 
possible to bring back the old state of things, and 
destroy the work of the Eevolution. 

Meanwhile disorder grew. The peasants, who had 
learnt the delights of plundering the rich, could not 
settle down to steady work again. The soldiers, since 
they were told that all men were equal, would not 
obey their officers, and there were constant mutinies. 

The Clubs. — In the towns men who had the same 
opinions formed themselves into clubs to discuss the 
questions of the day. In Paris the clubs grew in 
numbers and had a great deal of influence. The chief 
amongst them met in a convent dedicated to St. 
James, and was on that account called the Jacobin 
Glub. The Jacobins discussed everything freely, and 
criticised the doings of the National Assembly. Another 
important club was called the Cordeliers, also after the 
old convent where it met. In the discussions at these 
clubs most violent and bitter things were said ; no one 
was safe from their attacks. Many newspapers were 



THE REVOLUTION 241 

piiblislied, which were even more bitter. One of them, 
called The Friend of the People, was written by a man 
named Marat. He had a very sour and suspicious 
mind, and in his paper he warned the people of Paris 
to suspect everybody and trust no one. Everywhere 
people were excited, restless, and suspicious, and there 
was no one to bring peace and security. 

Death of Mirabeau, 1791. — The Jacobins, who 
had clubs all over the country as well as in Paris, 
believed and taught that the King was the destroyer 
of order, and aimed at setting up a republic in 
France. Mirabeau still mshed to keep the monarchy, 
but the court would not listen to the plans by which he 
hoped to save the king. Though his health was very 
bad, he still strove, both in the Assembly and elsewhere, 
to convince men that his views were right. In an 
almost dying state he made his last speech in the 
Assembly. Four days after, he died ; and on the last 
day of his life he said, ' I carry with me the ruins of the 
monarchy.' 

The Queen prepares for Flight. — Marie 
Antoinette, who would not listen to the plans of Mira- 
beau, was meanwhile making plans of her own. Many 
of the nobles had fled from France, and were busy in 
trying to find means to help the king. The other 
princes in Europe looked upon his cause as their own, 
for they feared lest the example of the French should 
stir up their own subjects to rise against them. They 
therefore agreed mth the French nobles — the Emigrants, 
as they were called — to get an army together on the 
frontier to be ready to enter France as soon as the 
signal should be given. At Nancy, near the frontier, 
there were some French troops under tne command of 

Q 



242 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

General Bouill6, a firm friend of the court. His advice 
was that the king and queen should escape from Paris 
and join him, and that he would take them to the army 
which the emigrants were gathering. Then Louis xvi. 
would be able to return at the head of an army, and 
make himself the real king of the country, when all 
the friends of the monarchy would gather to help him. 
People had for some time heard rumours of the intended 
flight of the royal family ; and when in early spring the 
king wished to go and spend Easter at St. Cloud, only a 
few miles from Paris, his carriages were stopped by the 
National Guard, and he was forced to return to Paris. 

Flight to Varennes, 1791.— Still, it would not 
have been difficult for them to escape, had they been 
content to travel in a simple way. But royal people 
in those days could not move without much fuss and 
preparation. The queen had to have new travelling 
dresses made, and a special new coach had to be bought 
for the journey. The Marquis of Bouill6 was ordered 
to send troops to protect the road along which the 
royal party were to travel. 

It was on the night of June 20th that the king and 
his sister, the queen and her two children, with their 
governess, secretly left the Tuileries. Outside Paris 
the great yellow travelling coach was waiting for them. 
It got on slowly through the mud, and reached each 
place later than had been expected. The presence of 
the troops on the road had already excited the suspicion 
of the inhabitants, and the royal party did not behave 
carefully enough. At one place, whilst they were 
changing horses, the king showed his face at the 
window, and was recognised by the postmaster, who 
rode after the royal party, and overtook them at 



THE REVOLUTION 



243 



Yarennes, the next stopping-place, whilst they were 
still looking for horses. He roused the mayor ; and a 
barrier of waggons and barrels was arranged to block 
the bridge over a river, which the coach must cross. 
When, in the darkness of the night, the royal coach 
reached the bridge, it was stopped, and the travellers 
were told to get out and wait in a grocer's shop till the 
morning. 




MARIE ANTOINETTE FORCED TO DESCEND FROM HER CARRIAGE. 



The King returns to Paris. — The queen im- 
plored the mayor's wife to let them go on their way ; 
but in vain, though the woman expressed sympathy 
Avith her. Alarm-bells brought thousands of National 
Guards to Yarennes, and the king was obliged to 
return to Paris really as a prisoner. The royal carriage 
passed through the streets of Paris in the presence of a 
silent crowd. The walls had been placarded with 
notices : ' Whoever shall applaud the king will be 
beaten ; whoever shall insult the king mil be hung.' 

Intense excitement had been caused in Paris by the 
flight of the king. A petition asking for the deposition 
of the king was placed on the altar in the Champ de 
Mars. Crowds gathered to sign it ; but Lafayette and 
Bailly, the maj^or, ordered the crowd to disperse, and 



244 ^ FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

when they would not, fired on them, killing several 
men, women, and children. The republican party 
spoke of this as the massacre of the Champ de Mars. 
It helped to bring about a separation between those 
who were satisfied with the Constitution drawn up by 
the Assembly and the democratic, or republican, party, 
which would not be content without the entire over- 
throw of the monarchy. 

The king was now again made to swear to obey the 
Constitution, but he was treated very much as a 
prisoner. In the autumn the Assembly broke up. It 
had formed the new Constitution, which was the work 
for which it had been called together; and in accordance 
with that Constitution a new assembly was now elected, 
which was called the Legislative Assem.bly. 



CHAPTER XXVIII 

THE TERROR 

The Girondins. — In the new Legislative Assembly, 
which met in October 1791, there were several different 
parties. The most powerful party was formed by the 
Girondins, so called because their leaders all came from 
the department of the Gironde. They were fine 
speakers, and full of ideas as to what the country 
needed. They were not satisfied with the Constitution, 
for they did not wish that there should be a king at 
all, but hoped to set up a republic. On the whole, 
they disliked violent measures, and preferred to try 
and persuade rather than to force men to follow their 
ideas. 

The Emigrants. — Meanwhile the emigrants were 
busy gathering together at Coblentz an army, which 
was to be commanded by Louis xvi.'s brothers. The 
Assembly thought it was time to take some steps 
against them; and they passed a resolution that the 
lands of all emigrants who did not return before a fixed 
date should be forfeited. They also declared that all 
priests who did not take an oath to be true to the 
Constitution, should lose their places. Then the 
Assembly grew bolder, and made the king write to the 

245 



246 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

foreign princes and say that France would look upon 
as enemies all those who suffered preparations for war 
against France to be made in their lands. When 
Austria refused to withdraw the troops which had been 
sent to the frontier, the Assembly, in April 1792, 
decided to declare war. 

Beginning' of the "War. — France was in no con- 
dition to carry on war. The army was not in order, 
the fortresses were out of repair. The king was dis- 
trusted; for it was well known that he must in his 
heart wish success to those who were looked upon as 
the enemies of France. Besides, it was believed, and 
with truth, that he and the queen were in communica- 
tion with the emigrants. To please the Assembly he 
had chosen ministers from among the Girondins. But 
the Girondins did not go far enough in their wish for 
change, and were not violent enough in their language, 
to please the other republicans, or democrats, as those 
men were called, who taught that one man was as good 
as another. The Jacobins especially distrusted the 
Girondins. The leaders at the Jacobin Club were 
Robespierre and Marat. Robespierre was a speaker 
who knew how to convince men; he was well edu- 
cated, led a moral life, always affected to be the 
one really virtuous man, and taught his followers to 
distrust all people in power. Marat, by his newspaper, 
had always taught men to suspect one another. Under 
the influence of these leaders, the common people grew 
very suspicious of the middle classes, the respectable 
citizens, who had been the first makers of the revolu- 
tion and wished to uphold the Constitution. Not only 
in Paris, but all over the country, the same divisions 
raged, and each man distrusted his neighbour. 



THE TERROR 247 

The war began on the Northern frontier. The French 
army was without discipline, and the soldiers fled at 
the approach of the enemy, crying out that they were 
betrayed by their generals. The Prussians then joined 
the Austrians in making war on the French ; and soldiers 
were gathered at a large camp at Coblentz, under the 
Duke of Brunswick, to invade France. 

The People break into the Tuileries. — The 
people of Paris were filled with alarm and fury. They 
suspected the king to be the cause of all their troubles, 
especially as he had dismissed his Girondist ministers. 
On the 20th June an immense mass of the populace, 
men, women, and children, many of them armed, broke 
into the Tuileries. They crowded round the king, who 
stood alone and quite calm in a window; the queen 
could not reach her husband, but sat in another room 
behind a table with the Dauphin, and had to bear in 
silence the rude looks and words of the mob. For four 
hours this misery lasted, whilst streams of people passed 
through the rooms of the palace, but no harm was done 
to the king and queen. The Mayor of Paris and the 
other authorities did nothing to stop this disorder, 
which showed the court how little they could trust in 
them. The queen's only hope was in the foreign army 
which was collecting on the frontier. To oppose it the 
French had but few and untried soldiers. The 
Assembly, therefore, proclaimed that the country was 
in danger, and bade volunteers come from all parts of 
France to a camp which was to be formed near Paris. 
A manifesto made by the Prussian general, the Duke 
of Brunswick, in which he bade all the country submit 
to Louis, added to the fury of the Parisians. The 
Jacobins wished the Assembly to depose Louis, but 



248 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

the majority refused. Then the Parisians determined 
to act themselves. Volunteers were arriving from 
all parts of France every day, and many of these sym- 
pathised with the Parisians, and were kept in Paris 
to help them. Chief amongst these were a band of 
men from Marseilles, who marched into Paris singing a 
song, called from them the Marseillaise, which has since 
become the chief French patriotic song. The Commune 
of Paris, that is, the body of men chosen to govern the 
city, decided that now, as people were so excited and 
discontented, it would be a good time to attack the 
Tuileries, where the king was living, and thus bring 
about the end of the monarchy. Lafayette, who had 
lost the favour of the people, had fled from France, but 
the new commander of the National Guards in Paris 
knew of their intentions, and prepared to defend the 
palace, but he was murdered. On the 10th of August 
the attack began. The king had a guard of 650 Swiss 
soldiers and some gentlemen ; but it was clear that it 
would be impossible for them to defend the palace against 
the vast mob which raged outside. The king and 
queen, with their children, thought it best to fly. 
They crossed the garden and entered the hall where 
the Assembly was sitting. For safety they were hidden 
in a reporter's room, about twelve feet square, behind 
the president's chair, and stayed there for forty-eight 
hours. 

From his hiding-place the king heard shots fired by 
the faithful Swiss, who were trying to defend the 
palace, and wi'ote word to them to lay down their 
arms and retire. The unhappy Swiss tried to obey his 
commands ; but as they were escaping across the garden, 
they were set upon and almost all massacred. The 



THE TERROR ■ 249 

mob meanwhile stormed into the palace, killing all they 
met on their way, even the hall-porters and the cooks, 
plundering or destroying all things they could lay 
their hands upon, and at last setting fire to the 
palace. 

Crowds forced their way into the Assembly, asking 
that Louis should be deposed ; and a decree was passed 
ordering that a new assembly, called a National Con- 
vention, should be elected to decide the fate of the king 
and give France a new government. The Constitution, 
which had been framed with so much trouble, no longer 
satisfied the people, since it still allowed the existence 
of a king, and the people were determined to have a 
republic. The royal family were sent to a prison called 
the Temple. 

Massacres in the Prisons. — One of the revolu- 
tionary leaders, named Danton, who was the chief 
speaker in the Cordelier Club, felt that immediate steps 
must be taken to prevent the army of the emigrants 
and the allies from marching on Paris to free the king. 
He was a man who believed that very stern measures 
were needed if there was to be order in France. He 
persuaded the Assembly to declare that the country 
was in danger, that troops must be raised to keep 
out the enemy, and that at the same tim_e steps must 
be taken to destroy the traitors at home. Orders were 
given to search all the houses in Paris for arms and for 
suspected persons. Every house was entered, hundreds 
of people were arrested, chiefly nobles and those who 
were in favour of the Constitution. Then a few men 
who belonged to the Commune of Paris hired bands of 
assassins, who, on September 2nd, visited the prisons 
and massacred nearly all those whom they found there. 



256 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

These massacres went on for five days and nights ; only 
few people took part in them, but the rest seemed too 
terrified to interfere. The Commune of Paris showed 
in this way, what would be the fate of those who would 
not agree with it. 

The National Convention. — On the 21st of 
September the National Convention met. Without 
any discussion, it decided that the monarchy should 
be abolished and a republic set up ; but after this was 
done, there was little agreement in the Convention. 
The two leading parties were the Girondists, who were 
moderate republicans, and the party called the Moun- 
tain, because they sat on the topmost benches. They 
consisted of the leading Jacobins and Cordeliers, such 
as Robespierre and Danton, and had very violent 
opinions. Besides these two strong parties there were a 
mass of members who were ready to vote mth the 
party which showed itself the stronger, and they were 
scornfully called the Frogs of the Marsh. 

The Mountain proposed that Louis xvi. should be 
executed, and none dared oppose, lest they should be 
considered the friends of royalty. When the royal 
family had first been taken to the Temple prison, they 
had been allowed to live together and have a garden to 
walk in ; but after some weeks it was discovered that 
plans of escape were being made, and the king was 
separated from his family and shut up alone. Now he 
was brought out to be tried before the Convention. 
They condemned him to death as an enemy of his 
country. He heard with calm courage that he was to 
die. A last and sad interview with his family was 
granted him, and then he was left to prepare for death 
with his confessor. 



THE TERROR 



25t 




THK GUILLOTINE. 



252 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

Execution of Louis XVI., 1793. — On a dismal 
rainy day Louis was driven quickly to the place of 
execution. He was to have his head cut off by the 
guillotine, a machine invented not long before by a 
Doctor Guillotin, after whom it was named. His 
hands were tied, and he was bidden to climb the steep 
steps which led to the platform where the guillotine 
stood. ' Son of St. Louis,' his confessor cried with a 
loud voice, ' go up to heaven ! ' Louis tried to say a few 
last words to the people, but drums struck up to hide 
his voice, and he calmly resigned himself to die. He 
had not had the wisdom needed in those troubled times, 
but he had tried to do his best. He died really for 
the mistakes and crimes of the kings who had gone 
before him. 

The Terror.— The death of Louis xvi. added to 
the enemies of France. The powers of Europe all felt 
that they must punish a nation which had executed its 
king. England, Spain, and Portugal joined the allies. 
In France itself there were risings against the Convention, 
and its armies had to be sent into some of the provinces 
as well as against foreign enemies. To meet these evils 
it was felt that a strong government was needed. The 
men of the Mountain showed the most decisiou, and suc- 
ceeded in having two bodies formed, called the Com- 
mittee of Public Safety and the Committee of General 
Security, which should have power to manage the war 
and to punish all enemies of the republic. To make 
the government strong these committees decided that 
men must be frightened, so that they might not dare to 
resist. The months that followed are called the Terror. 
The prisons were filled with all persons whom any one 
chose to accuse of ideas hostile to the government. The 



THE TERROR 253 

leading Girondists were turned out of the Convention. 
Some of them escaped from Paris, but most were caught 
and thrown into prison. The friends of the royal 
family, the friends of the Grirondists, were seized and 
imprisoned. A court was set up, called the Eevolu- 
tionary Tribunal, to judge persons suspected of not 
being friendly to the Eevolution. Day after day the 
unhappy prisoners were fetched out to be tried, and 
condemned to die by the guillotine. At first there was 
something like a real trial; even then about sixty 
persons a month were condemned to death. Later on 
little time was wasted on trials, and whole batches of 
prisoners were condemned at once. The guillotine stood 
always ready in the square called the Place de la Eevolu- 
tion. People called it the holy guillotine, and made 
hymns to it. Women wore brooches in the shape of 
tiny guillotines, and children had toy guillotines to 
play with. 

Life in the Prisons. — In the prisons were gathered 
many of the best educated and highest born people 
of France, often crowded together in the most filthy 
rooms. They tried to put away thoughts of death, 
and spent their time in inventing and playing games, 
and in talk and discussion as if they were in the bril- 
liant ^alon?, of the time of Louis XV. None knew who 
would next be called out to die, but all were ready to 
meet their fate "with courage. 

Murder of Marat. — You will remember that 
Marat had done more than any other revolutionist to 
make people distrust one another. Many of the 
Girondins thought that his teaching was one of the 
chief causes of the horrors of the Terror. A young 
and accomplished woman, Charlotte Corday, who was 



254 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 




THE TERROR 255 

living in Caen, heard some of the Girondins, who had 
fled from Paris, talk of the evil influence of Marat. 
She thought it would be a noble deed to free the 
country from such a man. She went to Paris and 
wrote to Marat begging him to see her, as she had 
important secrets to tell him. He admitted her into his 
rooms one evening, whilst he was sitting in a bath, 
which he had to take for the good of his health. He 
began to write down what she told him, and whilst he 
was busied in this way, she stabbed him in the throat, 
and he died on the spot. Charlotte Corday did not 
attempt to escape ; she was put into prison, and soon 
after executed. Her crime did more harm than good 
to her friends, for it was thought that the Girondins 
had planned Marat's death, and they were pursued with 
more bitterness than before. 

Execution of Marie Antoinette, IBth Octo- 
ber 1793. — After the execution of Louis xvi. Marie 
Antoinette had been left alone in the Temple, as her 
children had been taken from her. Some attempts 
to help her to escape made the Committee of General 
Security decide to bring her to trial. She was spoken 
of as the 'Widow Capet.' She was of course con- 
demned to death, and was carried to execution on a 
common cart "vvith her hands tied behind her. Suf- 
fering had turned her hair white before her time, 
and all her beauty was gone. She met death with 
a noble courage, which has made men forgive her 
errors. 

The Terror in the Provinces.— In the provinces 
the Terror reigned as in Paris. In many towns 
revolutionary tribunals were set up, and deputies from 
the Convention went to see that suspected persons 



256 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

were tried at them. Thousands of people of all ages 
and ranks, women as well as men, perished. At Nantes 
the condemned persons were tied together on rafts and 
drowned in the Loire. Men seemed to rejoice in the 
bloody work, and spoke of the duty and glory of 
feeding the guillotine. The worship of the Catholic 
religion was forbidden, for the leaders of the Conven- 
tion did not believe in the Church, the names of the 
months were changed, and the years were divided 
according to a new plan into weeks of ten days. The 
year 1 was said to begin on September 22nd, 1792, 
the day on which the republic was proclaimed. 

The Success of the War, — The government, 
which made itself strong in such an awful way, carried 
on with energy the war against the combined nations 
of Europe. The armies were entirely re-formed, and 
the danger of the country filled the soldiers with 
patriotic zeal. In the republican army any man could 
rise to be an officer or a general, and merit was quickly 
rewarded. This was very different from the old state 
of things, when all the officers had to be nobles by 
birth. Before long several famous generals arose, who 
not only drove back the enemies who were invading 
France, but conquered the Netherlands and made the 
Ehine the border of France. 

The Rising in La Vendee.— The armies of the 
republic had to fight also against rebels at home. The 
chief rising in favour of the monarchy and the Catholic 
religion was in the province called La Vendue ; it was 
marshy and wooded country, and the peasants were able 
to hold out for a long while against the soldiers, but were 
at last put down and put to death without mercy by 
General Hoche, one of the bravest soldiers of the 



THE TERROR 257 

republic. In Brittany also the peasants rose, and 
formed themselves into bands which troubled the 
soldiers very much. They were called * Chouans,' 
and as they knew every corner of the country, they 
could hide in the deep wooded lanes and thickets, 
and attack the soldiers when they were least ex- 
pected. 

Last days of the Terror. — After a while some of 
the very men who had helped to set up the Terror grew 
tired of its horrors, and said that the time was come, 
to show mercy. Chief amongst these were Danton 
and Camille Desmoulins, leaders of the Mountain ; but 
Eobespierre and his friend St. Just were all-powerful 
on the Committee of Public Safety, and still wished 
the bloody work to go on, that they might force 
men to obedience through terror. They were able 
to bring to execution first the chief members of the 
Commune of Paris, then Danton and Camille Des- 
moulins, and after them their wives. Thus the very 
men who had helped to set up the Terror perished 
in it. 

Eobespierre seemed now to stand alone and to have 
everything his own way. The executions were con- 
tinued with terrible rapidity. Some of those who 
helped to bring others to death seem to have loved 
the terrible work, others did it because they feared 
that otherwise they would be victims themselves. 
Eobespierre and St. Just persuaded themselves that, 
when they had killed all those whom they suspected, 
they would be able to set up a government which 
would make France happy and prosperous. 

Execution of Robespierre, July 1794.— But 

R 



258 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

the moment came when men refused to submit to 
Robespierre any longer. No one felt safe from him, 
so all the different parties combined to oppose him. 
They attacked him in the Convention, and after 
violent debates, which lasted many hours, he was 
arrested. In a struggle he had his jaw broken with 
a pistol-shot; and in this miserable state he was 
executed, and with him St. Just and his chief fol- 
lowers. 

• With the death of Eobespierre and his followers 
the Terror ceased. People breathed freely, and de- 
manded the release of their friends and relations who 
were still imprisoned. It is believed that, during 
the fourteen months which the Terror lasted, 16,000 
were sentenced to death and executed throughout 
France. 

The end of the Terror could not bring peace to 
France. The country was torn by different parties. 
The royalists once more hoped that it might be possible 
to restore the monarchy, the violent revolutionists 
wished to bring back the Terror. The Convention 
drew up a new Constitution, which they hoped would 
make France a strong and moderate republic, and then 
separated in 1795. 

The "Work of the Convention. — Whilst party 
disputes had raged, and innocent men and women had 
perished on the scaffold, the Convention had done 
much useful work for France. It had set up schools and 
museums throughout the country. In Paris it had started 
the splendid collections of the Museum of the Louvre. 
It had re-organised the army, and put order into the 
laws. The old France had been swept away with 



THE TERROR 259 

terrible bloodshed ; but many noble-minded men worked 
hard to build up a new France, where all men might be 
educated, and have a chance of leading happy, orderly 
lives. The first thing that was needed was a govern- 
ment strong enough to bring order into the land. 
Then men would be able to enjoy the new blessings 
which had been won for them. 



CHAPTER XXIX 

THE RISE OF NAPOLEON BONAPARTE 

The Directory. — In the new Constitution, the 
executive power, that is, the power to see that the laws 
were carried out, was given to five men called Directors. 
The first Directors had a difficult work to do. In 
France they had to keep down both the royalist party 
and the revolutionary party. At the same time, war 
had to be carried on against Austria and England, who 
had not made peace \vith the republic. The country 
was in a miserable condition; there was no money; 
commerce and industry seemed at an end. The armies 
were in need of pay, of food, and of clothes ; but they 
were made up of splendid soldiers, and commanded by 
brave and clever generals. 

Napoleon Bonaparte. — The minister who directed 
the war chose a young officer, named Napoleon Bona- 
parte, who had already distinguished himself on several 
occasions, to command the army which was to invade 
Italy, and fight the Austrians there. Bonaparte was a 
native of the island of Corsica. He was only twenty- 
seven years old, and the distinguished generals in the 
army of Italy were not pleased at having to submit to 
so young a man. But when he had explained his plans 
to them, one of them remarked, ' We have found our 



THE RISE OF NAPOLEON BONAPARTE 261 

master.' To the soldiers Bonaparte addressed a pro- 
clamation which filled them with zeal j he said to 
them : ' Soldiers, you are badly fed and almost naked. 
The government owes you much, but can pay you 
nothing. I will lead you into the most fertile plains in 
the world — there you will find honour, glory, and 
riches. Soldiers of Italy, will you be wanting in 
coin-age % ' 

The Campaign of Italy, 1797,— In Italy Bona- 
parte won a succession of brilKant victories. The Italians 
welcomed him as a deliverer; for they hated the rule of 
the Austrians, and Bonaparte said that he would give 
them freedom. He entered Milan amidst the rejoic- 
ings of the inhabitants, who put up triumphal arches 
of flowers in his honour. The Austrians made great 
efforts to drive the French from Italy. The royal 
princesses and the ladies of the coiu-t showed their 
enthusiasm by embroidering banners for the new regi- 
ments which were raised. But the new regiments were 
beaten as well as the old; and the Austrians were 
at last obliged to ask for peace, which was signed at 
Campo Formio in 1797. The Emperor had to give 
up the Netherlands and Milan, and submit to having 
republics set up in Italy, instead of the States ruled 
by princes which Bonaparte had found there. 

The Expedition to Egypt, 1798.— Bonaparte 
returned to France covered with glory. The Directory 
were afraid of his presence, and bade him lead an army 
to invade England. But this seemed to Bonaparte too 
great a risk. He asked instead to lead an army to 
conquer Egypt, saying, 'It is only in the East that 
great things can be done.' 

There was an English fleet, under the famous Admiral 



262 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

Nelson, in the Mediterranean. But no one knew where 
Bonaparte was going to take his army, and he succeeded 
in avoiding Nelson. He landed safely in Egypt, and 
had soon conquered the whole land. But meanwhile 
Nelson arrived with his fleet, and completely destroyed 
the French fleet in the battle of the Nile. Bonaparte 
and his army were thus shut up as prisoners in the 
land which they had conquered. He proceeded to 
invade Syria, where he was at first successful, but 
failed to take Acre, which was defended by the English 
Admiral, Sidney Smith. Of him Bonaparte used often 
to say afterwards, ' That man made me miss my fortune.' 
He was obliged to go back into Egypt. There he 
learnt that people in Europe looked upon him and his 
army as lost ; that the English Prime Minister, Pitt, 
had persuaded Austria and Russia to make another 
coalition with England against France j that the French 
armies had been defeated ; and that France was in 
danger of invasion. 

At once he decided to return. He left the command 
of the army in Egypt to General Kl6ber, and with a 
single frigate returned to France. 

The Consulate,' 1799-1804.— Bonaparte had left 
his army without permission, but the government was 
too weak to find fault with him. The people had been 
dazzled by the story of his victories in Egypt, and 
received him with enthusiasm. The Directory was 
surrounded by enemies, and had little real power; it 
could not resist Bonaparte. He succeeded in changing 
the government. When the council would not hear 
him he brought in his soldiers, who drove away the 
deputies. He decided that, instead of the Directory, 
three Consuls should rule France, with the help of 



THE RISE OF NAPOLEON BONAPARTE 263 

several assemblies, of which the chief was called the 
Senate. But he himself was the first or chief Consul, 
and really the sole ruler. So we see that the work 
of the Revolution had brought such disorder, that 
the only real power left was in the army, and that 
the man whom the army trusted and adored was the 
master of France. People were so tired of changes 
and disturbance that they were glad to submit to a 
strong ruler, who soon showed that he could manage 
the ajffairs of the country as well as he could lead an 
army. 

The Plebiscite, 1799. — When Bonaparte had 
settled the government of France, he determined to 
make it clear that the people were pleased with what 
he had done. Every man in France was to be asked 
for his opinion, and this way of finding out the will of 
the people is called, taking a pl6biscite. Three millions 
of the French people said that they approved of what 
Bonaparte had done, and only about 1500 dared to say 
that they disapproved. 

The Battle of Marengo, 1800.— As soon as 
matters were settled at home, Bonaparte suddenly and 
secretly led an army over the Alps into Italy. He 
crossed by the St. Bernard pass, leading his troops 
through most difficult and dangerous paths. In the 
worst places, the bands played to cheer the soldiers. 
The Austrians had won back Italy, and now gathered 
a large army to defend it ; but in the battle of 
Marengo, which lasted a whole summer's day, Bona- 
parte utterly defeated them. The Austrians were 
forced to ask for peace. But at the same time, the 
English had entirely defeated the French army left in 
Egypt, and Bonaparte was obliged to give up the hope 



264 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

of keeping Egypt. Every one was tired of war, and 
at last in 1802 peace was signed at Amiens with the 
English. 

The Power of the First Consul. — Bonaparte, 
the First Consul, as he was called, was now in a glorious 
position. The borders of France stretched to the 
Rhine ; the Austrian Netherlands had been joined to 
France. In Holland and Italy republics had been set 
up in alliance with France. At home the First Consul 
very quickly brought order into everything. New roads 
were made, old roads mended, new bridges thrown over 
the Seine at Paris. Bonaparte encouraged commerce 
and education ; in everything he was determined to 
be the great ruler of a great nation, and himself to be 
the first figure everywhere. The emigrants were allowed 
to return in peace ; religious worship was restored in 
the churches, and arrangements were made with the 
Pope for the appointment of bishops. The First Consul 
began to keep a gay court ; and to make his position 
sure, he had himself named Consul for life. 

Plots against the First Consul. — The growing 
power of the First Consul filled the royalist party in 
France with alarm and despair. There seemed no 
chance that the Bourbons would be called back to the 
throne. In their fury they made plots against the life 
of the First Consul. Bonaparte's police were so sharp 
that they found out these plots, and those who had 
taken part in them were severely punished. He wished 
to frighten his enemies, and he caused the young Duke 
d'Enghien, a member of the Bourbon family who was 
living in Germany near Strassburg, to be captured and 
brought to France. He was tried and condemned to 
death on the charge of having taken part in the plots 



THE RISE OF NAPOLEON BONAPARTE 265 

against the First Consul's life. He was shot by night 
in the ditch of the fortress, so that no effort might 
be made to get Bonaparte to spare his life. 

The other princes of Europe were indignant at this 
act, and began to make new preparations for war. 
England persuaded them to join once more in a 
coalition against France. 

Napoleon Bonaparte becomes Emperor, 
1804. — Though his power was safe for his lifetime, 
Bonaparte could not now rest content unless he was al- 
lowed to pass it on to his children. He succeeded there- 
fore in having himself named Emperor, as Napoleon I., 
and once more changed the way in which France was 
to be governed. As he still wished to appear to rule 
by the will of the people, a plebiscite was again taken, 
and the whole people were asked to vote whether 
he should be Emperor. Once more a large majority 
voted as he wished. His brothers and sisters were 
made princes and princesses; and it was decided that, 
if he left no children, one of his brothers was to succeed 
him as Emperor. 

Court of Napoleon I. — Napoleon wished his 
court to be as splendid as the court had been in the 
old days of the monarchy. He tried to get the old 
nobles to come and take places at the court, but very 
few of them would. Then he began to make a new 
nobility by giving grand titles to his brothers, his 
generals, and his chief followers. The country was so 
dazzled by his extraordinary cleverness, that he was 
allowed to do exactly as he liked. His chief generals 
were to be named marshals. There were fourteen at 
first, afterwards the number grew to twenty ; some of 
them had titles as dukes and princes besides. 



266 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

Coronation of Napoleon I. — The Emperor 
wished all the world to see his grandeur. He asked 
the Pope, who did not dare to refuse, to come and 
crown him in France. A magnificent ceremony took 
place in the Church of Notre Dame in Paris. The 
Pope anointed Napoleon with oil, but he was not 
allowed to place the crown on his head, for Napoleon 
was too proud to let it seem as if even the Pope could 
give him a crown. He himself placed the crown on 
his own head, and then crowned his empress, Josephine, 
whom he had married just before his first war in 
Italy. 

The Camp at Boulogne. — A little while after- 
wards, Napoleon crossed the Alps, and had himself 
crowned king of Italy at Milan. His next plan was to 
invade England with an immense army. Soldiers were 
gathered in a great camp at Boulogne, and large flat- 
bottomed boats were built to carry them across. Had 
this army once landed in England it must have been 
victorious ; but the difficulty was to cross the Channel, 
as the English navy was so much better than the 
French. Napoleon made clever plans to protect his 
troops whilst crossing, but at last he was forced to 
decide that the risk would be too great. He gave up 
the invasion of England, and led his army, which was 
called 'the Grand Army,' against Austria. Pitt had 
once more stirred up the powers of Europe to make 
war on France, and was helping them with English 
money. 

Capitulation of Ulm, 1805.— Before he left 
Boulogne, Napoleon had planned how he would conquer 
the forces of his enemies, and with wonderful speed he 
carried out his plans. He had great generals, able to 



THE RISE OF NAPOLEON BONAPARTE 267 

understand his plans, and splendid soldiers ready to 
follow him anywhere. First, a great Austrian army 
was so surrounded near Ulm by the French that, almost 
without fighting, they had to yield themselves prisoners. 
The French soldiers said with surprise, ' He makes us 
fight with our legs,' — for they had captured their enemy 
not by fighting, but by their rapid marches. After this 
he was able to enter Vienna, and then went quickly on 
to destroy another army, commanded by the Emperor 
of Austria himself, and his ally the Emperor of Eussia. 

Battle of Austerlitz. — A great battle was fought 
on the snowy plains near Austerlitz in the presence of 
the three Emperors. The troops of the allies were 
driven back by the French, and as they fled over some 
large frozen ponds, Napoleon ordered the cannon to fire 
on the ice and break it up, so that thousands were 
drowned as they tried to fly. It was a complete victory 
for the French. Napoleon was delighted with his 
soldiers, and said to them, ' When you return to your 
homes, it will be enough for you to say, "I was at 
Austerlitz " for men to call you brave soldiers.' 

Treaty of Presburg. — The Emperors of Austria 
and Russia had fled from the battle-field, and the 
Emperor of Austria hastened to make peace with 
Napoleon. In three months Napoleon had made him- 
self master of Germany; after this the Emperor of 
Austria never again claimed any power over the German 
States, but called himself only Emperor of Austria and 
King of Hungary. The German States along the 
Rhine were united under the protection of France into 
a confederation. Napoleon's desire to use his victories 
for his own glory led him to give duchies, and even 
kingdoms, to his brothers and his generals. One 



268 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

brother, Joseph, was made king of Naples, and another, 
Louis, king of Holland. There was no longer any 
pretence of giving freedom to the peoples of Europe. 

Battle of Trafalgar. — In the midst of his victories 
in Germany, news reached Napoleon of the utter defeat 
of his navy by the English under Nelson, at the battle 
of Trafalgar. He gave up after this all hopes of victory 
by sea ; but it added to his rage against the English, 
and he determined to ruin them if he could not beat 
them. Pitt died just after the battle of Austerlitz, in 
despair at the state of Europe ; and as his great enemy 
was dead. Napoleon at first hoped that England would 
make peace. When he found that she would not, he 
ordered in revenge that all the ports of Europe were 
to be closed to English ships; that no English goods 
were to be brought on to the Continent ; and that every 
Englishman found on the Continent of Europe was to 
be seized as a prisoner of war; thus England was to 
stand alone against all Europe. 

Peace of Tilsitt, 1807. — To carry out this plan 
entirely, Napoleon had first to force Prussia and Russia 
to obey his wishes. In the battle of Jena the Prussians 
were entirely conquered, and the Russians were also 
defeated in two great battles. Napoleon was so pleased 
with the fighting of the Russian soldiers, that he wished 
to have them as allies; and Alexander, the young 
Emperor of Russia, was full of admiration for his great 
enemy. The two Emperors met on a raft in the middle 
of the river Niemen, near Tilsitt, in the presence of 
their armies. We are told that Alexander threw him- 
self into Napoleon's arms, saying, 'I hate the English 
as much as you do.' ' If that is so,' answered Napoleon, 
*then peace is made.' 



THE RISE OF NAPOLEON BONAPARTE 269 

The two Emperors had long conferences, in which 
they behaved like intimate friends, and at last signed 
the treaty of Tilsitt. By this, some of the lands 
of Prussia were taken away and made into a kingdom 
for Napoleon's brother Jerome. England was now left 
quite alone, and no one on the Continent was allowed 
to trade with her. This caused great suffering ; sugar, 
coffee, and other things which were usually bought 
from English merchants, became enormously dear. The 
English suffered equally through not being able to sell 
their goods, and people smuggled the things which they 
might not buy and sell openly. 



CHAPTER XXX 

THE FALL OF THE FIRST EMPIRE 

War in Spain.— Most of the nations of Europe had 
agreed to Napoleon's plans, and agreed to what was 
called the continental blockade, which kept English ships 
out of their ports. But Portugal, which had long been 
friendly with England, refused to agree, and Napoleon 
therefore sent an army into Portugal. He next deter- 
mined to interfere with the government of Spain, where 
the king and his son were always quarrelling. Napoleon 
knew how to make use of their quarrels, and at last 
made the king of Spain give up his crown to him. 
Joseph Bonaparte, who had been made king of Naples, 
was now bidden to be king of Spain; whilst Murat, 
one of Napoleon's great generals, who had married 
his sister, was sent to be king of Naples instead of 
Joseph. 

Spain did not submit easily. The people rose against 
the French on every side, and were often successful, as 
the French soldiers who had been sent to Spain were 
very young and untrained. An English army under 
Sir Arthur Wellesley, afterwards the Duke of Welling- 
ton, landed in Portugal and drove the French out of 
that country. When Napoleon heard how badly things 
were going, he came to Spain himself with part of his 



THE FALL OF THE FLRST EMPIRE 271 

Grand Army, and defeated the Spaniards several times. 
But though they were conquered in battle, they always 
rose again. Every peasant was ready to turn himself 
into a soldier and attack the French when he saw a 
good chance. In the desolate mountain districts which 
the French had to cross, they were always being 
attacked by bands of armed peasants and shepherds, 
who sprang out upon them in unexpected places, and 
escaped before they could be caught, by hiding behind 
rocks, and getting away into the mountains where the 
soldiers could not follow them. Walled towns were 
defended with the greatest possible courage. Saragossa 
was besieged in vain for two months, and even when at 
last the French got into the town, the Spaniards 
defended the houses, which had to be taken one by one. 

Ne^w War with Austria. — Meanwhile Austria, 
thinking that Napoleon was busy in Spain, attacked 
the French in Bavaria. Napoleon hastened to the spot, 
and after winning several battles, once more forced 
Austria to make peace. Austria had to pay a heavy 
price for the peace. Napoleon was disappointed because 
his wife Josephine bore him no children. He now put 
her away, and asked the Emperor of Austria to give 
him his daughter, the Archduchess Marie Louise, as 
wife. The Emperor was obliged to yield. Poor Marie 
Louise did not like it at all, and all her family looked 
upon her as a victim. She was never liked in France, 
and every one was sorry for Josephine, whose grace and 
gentleness had made her much beloved. 

Birth of the King of Rome, 1811.— The next 
year a son was born to Napoleon, who, from his cradle, 
was called the king of Rome. It seemed as if the 
Empire was firmly established, and men hoped that 



272 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

Napoleon would now be content, and that he would 
allow Europe to be in peace. France was growing 
weary of the incessant war, and longed for quiet. But 
Napoleon could not rest. He was very angry with the 
Emperor of Eussia, who had again allowed English 
ships to enter his ports, and he decided to lead an 
army to invade Eussia. He was unwise enough to 
start on this great expedition without settling the 
affairs of Spain. The Spaniards were constantly revolt- 
ing against the rule of Joseph, whilst the French 
generals found it impossible to drive out Wellington. 
But Napoleon said that after his invasion of Eussia every- 
thing would be settled and peace secured to Europe. 

The Invasion of Russia, 1812.— In 1812 he 
led his Grand Army to invade Eussia. The Eussian 
generals retreated before him without fighting. Their 
plan was to draw him far into the country, and they 
burnt everything on the way, so that he might find no 
supplies for his troops. 

Battle of Borodino. — Napoleon longed for the 
chance of winning a great battle, and thus covering 
himself again with glory, whilst he struck terror into 
his enemies. At last the Eussians halted to fight at 
Borodino, in the hopes of saving Moscow. It was 
a terrible battle ; thousands were killed on both sides, 
and the Eussians had to retreat, though their army was 
not destroyed. They could not keep the French from 
entering Moscow, the holy town of Eussia ; but nearly 
all the inhabitants left the town, and the stores of pro- 
visions were destroyed or carried off, so that the French 
found an empty and desolate city. Some of the 
Eussians who remained set fire to the city in different 
places. The wooden houses burnt quickly, and the fire 



THE FALL OF THE FIRST EMPIRE 273 

raged for five days. The French could only save the 
churches and the great fortress, called the Kremlin. 
Napoleon lingered with his army amongst the ruins of 
the city, hoping that the Eussians would ask for peace ; 
but they used the time to get their armies again into a 
fit condition for fighting. At last, after he had been 
a month in Moscow, the approach of winter warned 
Napoleon that it was high time to leave so cold and in- 
hospitable a country. 

The Retreat from Moscow. — The army left 
Moscow on the 19th October. The frosts at night 
soon became severe, and before long the roads were 
covered with snow. There were no provisions to be 
found on the road, and the French cavalry had to ride 
great distances into the country to search for food. 
Soon after leaving Moscow a terrible battle was fought 
with the Eussians, and though the French were in the 
end \dctorious, they lost many men. All along the road 
they were constantly attacked by bands of Cossacks, 
the wildest and fiercest of the Eussian horse-soldiers. 
Each day the cold grew more intense, the difficulties 
of the march increased, and the sufierings of the army 
were terrible. 

The Passage of the Beresina. — When they 
reached the river Beresina, they found that the Eussians 
had destroyed the bridge by which they hoped to 
cross the river. The engineers had to build two new 
bridges, and to do this the Avorkmen were obliged 
to stand amongst the ice-blocks in the freezing water. 
Nearly all of them perished of cold or were drowned. 
At last the bridges were ready, but whilst some of 
the French army crossed, others had to keep back 
the Eussians, who were pressing on them from all 

s 



274 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

sides and shooting at the confused mass which 
struggled to cross the bridges. Twenty-four thousand 
men perished at the passage of the Beresina. Of the 
great army of 500,000 men who had entered Eussia 
only 200,000 came out again, and these were utterly 
disorganised; the regiments were broken up; officers, 
and even generals, struggled along in rags and on foot 
like common soldiers. 

Napoleon left the army near the frontier of Russia, and 
hastened to Paris. He had been alarmed by hearing 
that in his absence a plot had been made against him. 
He wished himself to tell the people of the ruin of his 
army, and to take steps at once to raise a new army. 

Battle of Leipzig, 1813.— The news of the 
terrible retreat of the Grand Army gave courage to all 
Napoleon's enemies. All Germany rose against him. 
Napoleon called upon the French to save their country, 
and succeeded in creating a new army. He entered 
Germany, and once more won victories over his enemies. 
Peace was proposed, but Napoleon would not agree to 
give up anything which he had won in his former wars, 
and preferred to go on fighting. Since it seemed that, 
wherever Napoleon himself was, his troops were vic- 
torious, the allies tried to avoid fighting when he was 
present, and attacked only the armies of his generals. 
In October 1813 Napoleon had gathered his forces be- 
fore Leipzig, and there the united armies of his enemies 
attacked him. The battle lasted three days. Napoleon 
had not so many soldiers as his enemies, and at last 
was forced to retreat. The bridge over which his men 
had to pass was blown up by mistake before the whole 
army had crossed, and 20,000 French remained in the 
power of the enemy. 



THE FALL OF THE FIRST EMPIRE 275 

The Allies prepare to invade France, 1814.— 

After this terrible battle Napoleon had to retreat to 
France, and once more the allies offered him peace, if 
he would be content to leave France mth her old 
boundaries. Again he refused. On all sides the armies 
of his enemies were preparing to invade France. 
Wellington had chased the French out of Spain, and 
was now leading his victorious troops into France. 
Napoleon was like a lion at bay. When the French 
found fault with his doings he exclaimed : ' Is it the 
time to speak of abuses when 200,000 Cossacks are 
crossing our borders % ' He attacked first one and then 
another of his enemies, and defeated them. Then, as 
their numbers stiU allowed them to advance, he decided 
to get behind them, so that they might be shut in 
between his army and Paris. But Paris was not strong 
enough to hold out against them. The city was spared 
the horrors of a siege. The allies entered in peace, and 
treated the town and its inhabitants with all possible 
respect. 

Napoleon abdicates. — Napoleon was at Fon- 
tainebleau, where he still had a good many troops 
round him, and for a moment he thought of continu- 
ing the struggle ; but he soon felt that it was hopeless. 
He gathered his old guards together and bade them 
farewell, and having given up his crown, he went with 
a few followers, and about 400 men of the old guard, 
to the little island of Elba, off the coast of Italy. 

The First Restoration. — The Emperor of Eussia 
wished to leave the French people perfectly free to 
choose the government they would prefer, but the 
friends of the Bourbons succeeded in bringing back the 
old royal family. The brother of Louis xvi. was 



276 



A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 




THE KMPEKdK NAPOLEON. 



THE FALL OF THE FIRST EMPIRE 277 

proclaimed King. He v/as called Louis xviii., as the 
royalists looked upon the little son of Louis xvi. 
who had died in prison, as Louis xvii. The French 
people knew nothing about Louis xviii., who had been 
spending his exile in England. With him all the 
nobles who had so long been banished from France 
came back. They did not behave wisely, and people 
said of them 'that they had forgotten nothing, and 
learnt nothing.' 

The Hundred Days, 1815. — Napoleon at Elba 
heard from his friends of the discontent in France. 
He escaped without difficulty, and landed in France 
not quite a year after he had left it. As soon as he 
appeared he was welcomed with enthusiasm. Troops 
were sent against him, but on seeing him they broke 
into cries of ' Long live the Emperor ! ' Without 
striking a blow he crossed France like a conqueror, and 
entered Paris the day after Louis xviii. had fled from 
it. He at once set to work to get an army together. 

Battle of 'Waterloo. — In fifty days Napoleon was 
ready to march against the allies. He wished to attack 
them before they could enter France. The Prussians 
under Bliicher, and the English under Wellington, had 
arranged to meet* near Brussels. Napoleon wished to 
fight before they had time to unite. On the 16th of 
June a terrible battle was fought against Bliicher, who 
was beaten, but his army was not destroyed. Wellington 
was at a ball in Brussels on the evening of June 17th, 
when he heard of Napoleon's approach. He quickly 
made his preparations, and drew up his men next morn- 
ing on the plains of Waterloo. It was the first time 
that he and Napoleon met face to face. Bliicher had 
promised to come to help Wellington. Napoleon knew 



278 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

this, and hoped to drive the English from their position 
before the Prussians could arrive. At half-past eleven 
the attack began, and all through the day the English 
drove back the charges of Napoleon's troops. 

It was evening before Bliicher arrived ; a heavy rain 
had fallen the night before and made the roads almost im- 
passable. At the sight of his army advancing on their 
right, the French felt that all was lost, but Napoleon 
would not give up, and ordered his Guards to make one 
last charge. It was in vain, they were driven back and 
turned in flight. Napoleon himself was forced by his 
generals to flee. When he reached Paris, he found that 
no one was ready to stand by him, and he was forced 
again to abdicate. He was afraid lest he should be given 
up to the enemy, and went to the coast in the hope of 
finding a ship to take him to America ; but he found all 
the ports guarded. At last he gave himself up to the 
English fleet, and wrote a letter to the Prince Regent of 
England, in which he said that he wished to live in peace 
in England. The European powers decided that it was 
not safe to let him live in Europe, and he was sent to the 
little island of St. Helena off" the coast of Africa. There 
it was impossible to escape, and after six years he died. 

He was one of the greatest generals and one of the 
most extraordinary men there has ever been. Unfor- 
tunately he lived too much for his own glory, and 
behaved as if the world was made for him; and so his 
great powers were not so useful as they might have 
been. But he did much useful work in making good 
laws for France, and everywhere in Europe he carried 
a new sense of liberty and equality amongst men. If he 
had not tried to do so much, and had been more peace- 
ful, he would not have made so many enemies, and 
would have left France more safe and more settled. 



CHAPTER XXXI 

THE ATTEMPT TO RESTORE THE MONARCHY 

The Second Restoration. — After Napoleon's flight 
Wellington and Bliicher entered Paris. Louis xviii. 
was once more placed on the throne, and returned to 
Paris a hundred days after he had left it. A con- 
ference of the powers of Europe met in Paris, and after 
several months settled the terms of peace. France had 
to give up all the lands which had been won in the 
wars of the republic and of Napoleon. The pictures 
and statues which Napoleon had carried off from the 
Italian museums were given back, and France had to 
pay large sums of money to the allies for the cost of 
the war. 

Louis XVIII. came sadly back to Paris. He knew 
that he could not be welcome to the French, since he 
owed his power to foreign arms. He gave the people a 
charter which set up two assemblies, the Chamber of 
Nobles and the Chamber of Deputies, with whose help 
he was to govern the country. France was no longer 
to be a monarchy where the king could do just as he 
liked, as it had been in the days of Louis xiv., but a 
constitutional monarchy like England. Many of the 
nobles who came back to France after long years 
of hardship and exile, did not like the new state of 

279 



28o A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

things, and wanted to get back their old rights and 
privileges, and to punish those who had driven them out. 
Fortunately Louis xviii. was too wise to listen to them 
altogether. Still he allowed many of the friends of 
Napoleon to be imprisoned and put to death. Then he 
settled down to try and rule quietly, and treat all the 
parties in the country with justice. France was torn 
by different parties ; first one, then the other tried to 
get the upper hand. As Louis xviii. grew older he 
was inclined to be specially friendly to the extreme 
royalists. The priests had a great deal of influence 
over him, and tried to force the country to follow their 
views, so that the Eoman Catholic religion might again 
become as powerful as it had formerly been. 

Charles X. comes to the Throne, 1824. — 
When Louis xviii. died he was succeeded by his 
brother, Charles x. It was soon clear that Charles X. 
had learnt nothing by his long exile ; his one wish was 
to go back to the old state of things before the Eevolu- 
tion. He disliked the Chamber of Deputies because it 
opposed his views, and he began to plan how he could 
change the government and give the Chamber less 
power. He was very friendly with the priests, and was 
always ready to listen to their advice, and to help them 
to make the Eoman Catholic religion supreme. 

The Conquest of Algiers, 1830. — In the year 
1830 the French were led into a war with the ruler of 
Algiers, a country on the north coast of Africa. They 
were victorious, and Algiers became a French posses- 
sion. Charles x. hoped that this succcess would make 
his government popular. He dissolved the Chamber 
and ordered new elections, thinking that men friendly 
to him would be chosen. But deputies were elected 



ATTEMPT TO RESTORE THE MONARCHY 281 

who nearly all belonged to tlie Liberal party, as the 
party opposed to the king was called. 

Then Charles X. determined, by his own will alone, 
to make some important changes in the government. 
He drew up and signed five ordinances, which stated 
the changes he was going to make, so that more power 
might belong to the king and less freedom to the 
people. 

The Revolution of 1830.— Paris was filled with 
excitement by this, and the liberal leaders at once 
roused the people to arms. They threw barricades 
across the street, made of carts and furniture and any- 
thing the people could lay hands on, and tied together 
with chains. These barricades were defended by armed 
men, and made it very difficult for the soldiers to move 
along the streets. Charles x. thought it would be easy 
to put down this revolution ; but his troops could do 
nothing, and some of them went over to the other side. 

Some of the liberals proposed that they should send 
for the Duke of Orleans and make him king. He was 
the son of that Duke of Orleans who is known as 
Philippe Egalit6 and had been executed in the Terror, 
and was descended from the younger brother of 
Louis XIV. The fighting in the streets of Paris lasted 
for three days, and then Charles X. abdicated in favour 
of his grandson, the Duke of Bordeaux, and fled to 
England. The Chamber would not have the Duke of 
Bordeaux, but chose the Duke of Orleans, and he be- 
came king as Louis Philippe. 

Louis Philippe, 1830. — Louis Philippe Avas will- 
ing to rule according to the will of the Chamber. He 
was a good man, and had always been friendly with 
the liberal party. But he had many difficulties to con- 



282 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

tend against. There were three different parties 
opposed to him : the Legitimists, who thought that the 
Duke of Bordeaux, whom they called Henry v., and 
who is also known as the Count of Chambord, should 
be king ; the Republicans, who wished for a republic ; 
and the Napoleonists, who wished to bring back 
Napoleon's son as emperor. 

Government of Louis Philippe. — Sometimes 
these disputes- led to actual fighting, but Louis Philippe 
managed to put down his opponents, and for some 
years ruled peacefully. One of his ministers, Guizot, 
did much to help on the education of the people. In 
many places there were no schools at all, and people 
did not think it necessary that girls should be taught 
anything. Schools were now set up everywhere, so 
that all, even the poorest, might be taught if they 
wished. 

As order at home was restored, France again began 
to take part in the affairs of Europe. The great object 
of the king and his ministers was to keep at peace 
with foreign powers, so as to give the country rest. 

Conspirary of Fieschi, 1835. — The violence of 
some of the republicans did a great deal of harm to 
their cause. One day, as the king with his sons and 
several of his generals was riding to a review, an in- 
fernal machine, placed by a Corsican revolutionist 
named Fieschi, burst. The king was not hurt, but 
one of the generals was killed, and forty of the people 
standing about to see the king pass were killed or 
wounded. Fieschi himself was wounded by the burst- 
ing of his own machine. He was taken and executed. 
This crime obliged the government to use more severe 
means to keep the revolutionists in order. 



ATTEMPT TO RESTORE THE MONARCHY 283 

Louis Napoleon, 1836. — Napoleon's son died in 
1832, and the head of the Bonaparte family was then 
Louis Napoleon, son of Napoleon's brother Louis. He 
was discontented with his obscure position, and looked 
upon himself as the heir to the great Emperor's glory. 
He made an unsuccessful attempt to persuade the 
soldiers at Strassburg to rise in his favour. He was 
taken prisoner, but the government decided not to 
make a martyr of him by keeping him in prison, and 
allowed him to go to America. 

Some years afterwards he made another attempt, and 
landed in France from England, where he had been 
living. He seemed to think that it would be easy to 
persuade the soldiers to follow him ; but he was again 
arrested, and this time he was sentenced to be im- 
prisoned for life in the fortress of Ham. 

The Political Banquets, 1847.— The friends 
of Louis Philippe began to hope that the Orleanist 
family was firmly established on the throne. But one 
day as the king's son, the Duke of Orleans, was out 
driving, his horse ran away. He jumped out of the 
carriage, and was so much hurt that he died four hours 
afterwards. The heir to the throne was now the Duke 
of Orleans's son, a boy of four ; and as Louis Philippe 
was already seventy, it seemed likely that he would 
not live until his grandson was old enough to reign. 
With a child for a king, it would be more difficult than 
ever to keep down all the parties which opposed the 
throne. 

Hard winters and bad harvests helped to make 
France poor and discontented. People began to com- 
plain loudly of the government, and to ask for changes. 
It was said that the Chamber of Deputies did not 



284 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

properly represent the people, and that the way in 
which it was elected must be reformed. The reformers 
wished to make their cause popular. They went about 
France holding banquets in different towns, at some of 
which as many as a thousand guests were present. At 
the banquets speeches were made, in which the griev- 
ances of the people and the need for reforms were 
dwelt upon. At one of these banquets, Lamartine, one 
of the chief leaders of the reformers, even went so far 
as to say that the monarchy must fall. 

At last it was decided to hold a large banquet in 
Paris, since the Government would not grant the 
reforms which were asked for. The government was 
alarmed at the idea, and said that the banquet must 
not be held. The reformers did not wish to come to 
an open struggle with the government, and after some 
hesitation they decided that the government should be 
obeyed, but they said that time would show the justice 
of their cause. 

The Revolution of February 1848. — When 
it was known that the ministers had forbidden the 
banquet, excited crowds began to gather in the streets 
and to throw up barricades and arm themselves. No 
energy was shown by the government in trying to put 
down the revolution. When at last the National 
Guards were called out they made friends with the 
mob. The king lost heart ; he thought that all France 
was against him, and he decided to abdicate in favour 
of his grandson, the Count of Paris. The old king, 
who was now aged seventy-five, with his queen, quietly 
walked to a cab and drove away from Paris. 

The Provisional Government, — Then his 
daughter-in-law, the Duchess of Orleans, leading her 



ATTEMPT TO RESTORE THE MONARCHY 285 

two little sons by the hand, walked to the Chamber of 
Deputies. No one dared to proclaim the little Count 
of Paris king. The mob swarmed into the Chamber, 
and the place was filled with confusion and violence, 
from which the Duchess escaped with difficulty. 
Lamartine then made himself heard, and proposed 
that a number of men whom he named should make a 
provisional government, who were to rule till a Con- 
stituent Assembly could be elected. Lamartine him- 
self was the leading member of this provisional govern- 
ment. It was very difficult to keep order in Paris ; it 
seemed as if the worst days of the first Eevolution 
were going to be repeated. The streets were full of 
barricades, and wild crowds raged round the public 
buildings. Lamartine had great influence with the 
people, and often was able to quiet them with his 
eloquent words. The provisional government decided 
that every man who was of age might vote for the 
Constituent Assembly. Nine hundred members were 
elected, for the most part moderate men. They set to 
work once more to fix upon a form of government for 
France. There was no longer to be a king, but a 
republic, with a president at its head who was to be 
chosen by the votes of all the people. 

The Death of the Archbishop of Paris.— 
Paris was in a very disturbed state, the streets were 
full of idle men ready to make a disturbance, and 
when the government tried to make order, there was a 
general rising of the working men of Paris. It was 
determined to put them down with firmness. Then 
again barricades were thrown up and fighting began in 
the streets of Paris. The Archbishop of Paris went in 
solemn state to the greatest of the barricades, to urge 



286 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

the people to submit. Whilst he was talking to them 
he was struck by a chance ball, and fell a martyr to 
the cause of peace. At last, after four days' fighting 
in which many thousands perished, the rising was put 
down. This rising had frightened the respectable 
people and made them anxious for a government 
which could keep order. 

Louis Napoleon elected President. — The next 
thing to be done was to elect a president for the 
republic. The Constitution had decided that every 
Frenchman was to vote in the election of the president. 
The choice lay between five people. One of these was 
Louis Napoleon, who had escaped two years before 
from the fortress in which he had been imprisoned. 
The great mass of the peasants were in his favour ; 
they remembered the glory of his uncle, since their 
fathers and many of themselves had served in his 
armies. Louis Napoleon promised to favour every 
kind of reform if he were elected, and said again and 
again that he would not use the office of president 
for his own personal glory. He was elected by an 
enormous majority, and swore when he entered his 
office to remain faithful to the republic. 



CHAPTER XXXII 

THE SECOND EMPIRE AND ITS FALL 

Louis Napoleon as President, 1848-1852. — 

Louis Napoleon was not a great man. It was to the 
magic of his name entirely that he owed his election. 
He had no idea of being true to the promises that he 
had made. His one object was to prepare the way 
for his own rise to power. The position of President, 
in which he had entirely to submit to the mil of the 
Chamber, by no means satisfied him. 

He began to keep a brilliant court, and to give 
important posts to his friends and relations. He 
travelled through France and reminded people by his 
words of the great deeds of his uncle. 

The Coup d':6tat, 1851.— At last, in December 
1851, everything was ready for a plot called the cou]^ 
d'etat, by which Louis Napoleon was to make his power 
sure. Only a few men were in the secret, but amongst 
them was the head of the police, who was quite willing 
to do as he was told. 

In the night the streets were filled with troops. 
The police seized nearly a hundred of the chief leaders 
of the republican party. In the morning, bills posted 
in the streets, told the people that the Assembly was 

2S7 



288 A FIRS7 HISTORY OF FRANCE 

dissolved, and that the President wished the people to 
help him to make a new Constitution. The few people 
who tried to rise against him were put down at once. 
A few barricades were raised in the streets of Paris, 
but they were immediately stormed, and many innocent 
people were shot. All over France the leading repub- 
licans were arrested. Some were imprisoned, and some 
were exiled. Then Louis Napoleon drew up a new 
form of government, according to which he was to be 
President for ten years. Before a year was over he 
had himself proclaimed Emperor, as Napoleon iii. 
He called himself the successor of the son of the great 
Napoleon, who had died in Austria some years before. 

Napoleon III., 1852. — None of the foreign 
powers were inclined to interfere with Napoleon, and 
one after another recognised him as Emperor ; but few 
of the most distinguished Frenchmen would have any- 
thing to do with the empire. The children of the 
men who had risen under the great Napoleon came to 
his court, where any one was welcome. He married a 
beautiful and clever Spanish lady, the Empress Eugenie, 
who did much to make the empire popular. 

The Crimean War, 1854. — Napoleon m.'s 
power rested chiefly on the army, and he was eager 
for a war in which the soldiers could distinguish 
themselves. Eussia was at that time planning to drive 
the Turks out of Turkey and seize Constantinople. 
Many people in England were afraid lest, if Russia held 
Constantinople, she might interfere with the English 
road to India. The English Government therefore 
agreed to join with Napoleon iii., and help the Turks 
to keep back the Russians. Napoleon iii. wished for 
the war to strengthen his power, since, as the ally of 



THE SECOND EMPIRE AND ITS FALL 289 

England, lie would be recognised as one of the princes 
of Europe. Thus the strange sight was seen of two 
Christian nations joining together to help the Turks, 
whom the Christians of former ages had tried so hard 
to keep out of Europe. 

The Peace of Paris, 1856.— The French fought 
well in the Crimea, and won special glory at the siege 
of Sebastopol, which ended the war. The Eussians 
were obliged to sign the treaty of Paris in 1856. This 
war added greatly to the power of Napoleon ill. He 
paid a visit to the English court, and was visited in 
turn by Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort. A 
son was born to him, who was baptized with great 
pomp in Notre Dame. He wished to dazzle the French 
by a great show of magnificence. The old streets in 
Paris were pulled down, and new streets, with splendid 
houses, built. Boulevards — wide streets planted with 
trees — followed the lines of the walls of the old 
city. The Emperor seemed to wish to destroy the 
memories of old France. 

The Italian ^War, 1859.— After the fall of 
Napoleon I. great part of Italy had again been given 
over to the Austrians. The Italians longed to drive 
out the Austrians and unite Italy under one rule. 
One of the chief Italian princes was Victor Emmanuel, 
king of Sardinia. He had at this time a great 
minister, Cavour, whose aim was to free Italy from 
the rule of foreigners. He succeeded in persuading 
Napoleon iii. to help Victor Emmanuel to make war 
against Austria. The French troops crossed the Alps, 
and with the help of Victor Emmanuel, who was him- 
self a great general, defeated the Austrians at the 
battles of Magenta and Solf erino. All the Italians who 



290 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

loved liberty joined to help Victor Emmanuel; chief 
amongst them was the famous leader, Garibaldi. The 
end of the war was that nearly all Italy united under 
the rule of King Victor Emmanuel; only Eome re- 
mained to the Pope and Venice to Austria. Napoleon iii., 
in return for his help, was given the district of Nice 
and the province of Savoy. 

Vy'ar between Prussia and Austria, 1866. — 
Italy could not rest whilst Venice still belonged to 
Austria. Victor Emmanuel made an alliance with the 
king of Prussia, the German prince next in importance 
to the Emperor of Austria. In 1866 Italy and Prussia 
together made war on Austria. In this war Prussia 
was victorious, and became the real head of Germany, 
and was able to make Austria give up Venice to Italy. 

France declares War against Prussia, 1870. 
— France watched with jealousy the growth of the 
power of Prussia, and people began to see that sooner or 
later war must break out between the two countries. 
Napoleon in. was not afraid of war. He thought that 
his army was in a splendid condition, and that a 
victorious war would make him stronger to resist the 
republican party, who grew each year more impatient 
at his rule. 

A trifle served as an excuse, and in 1870, OUivier, 
Napoleon's chief minister, declared war against Prussia 
and her German allies. He himself said at the time 
that he did it with a light heart. 

Battle of Sedan. — Every one thought that the 
French would win, and great was the surprise when 
almost from the first the Prussians were victorious. 
They had splendid generals — Moltke, the Crown Prince 
Frederick, and others; and they had well-trained troops, 



THE SECOND EMPIRE AND ITS FALL 291 

able to bear great fatigue. The French army was really 
in bad order, and had poor generals. In one battle 
after another the French were defeated. At last, at 
the battle of Sedan, only six weeks after the war had 
been declared, the chief French army was entirely sur- 
rounded by Moltke. Napoleon iii. and all his army 
had to give themselves up as prisoners into the hands 
of the Germans. 

The Republic Is proclaimed in Paris. — When 
the news of the battle of Sedan reached Paris, the 
people at once declared that Napoleon should be no 
longer Emperor, and proclaimed the republic. A pro- 
visional government was formed, called the Government 
of the National Defence. Gambetta was the hero of 
this government ; he was the minister of war, and he 
did all in his power to rouse the courage of the people. 
But the German armies entered France, and were able 
to march on Paris and besiege it. For four months 
Paris was closely shut up by the German army. No 
one could go in or out. Letters were sent by carrier- 
pigeons ; and one or two people, Gambetta amongst 
others, managed to enter or leave the besieged city in 
balloons. The people suffered terribly from cold and 
hunger, and were forced to eat even rats and mice ; but 
they held out bravely until, on the 31st January 1871, 
Paris had to capitulate, and give itself up into the 
hands of the Germans. 

The King of Prussia becomes Emperor of 
Germany, 1871. — It was whilst besieging Paris that 
the king of Prussia, who was lodging in the Palace of 
Versailles, took the title of German Emperor. After 
Paris had fallen, the great German minister Bismarck 
agreed that all fighting should cease for three weeks, 



292 A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 

whilst the French elected an Assembly. The Assembly 
met at Bordeaux, and a new government was chosen, 
of which M. Thiers was the head. He was forced to 
agree to make peace with Germany, and to give up to 
the German Emperor the province of Alsace and part 
of Lorraine, with the town of Metz, all of which had 
been won by Louis Xiv. The French also had to pay 
an immense sum of money to the Germans. 

The Gomniune. — As soon as the Germans had 
left Paris, the Assembly came and settled at Versailles. 
But Paris was not inclined to obey the Assembly. 
The citizens chose a number of men called the Commune 
to govern Paris. For some time Paris was given up to 
disorder. It was only after severe fighting that the 
Communists could be put down and order restored. 
The Archbishop of Paris was killed by the Communists, 
and the Tuileries and other public buildings were 
burnt down. 

The New Constitution, 1875. — Some people 
now hoped to bring back the old monarchy, but after 
many discussions a new Constitution was at last agreed 
upon, and passed by the Assembly in 1875. This 
Constitution set up republican government, which still 
lasts. France is governed by a Chamber of Deputies, 
called the National Assembly, which is very like our 
English Parliament. Every Frenchman has a right 
to vote in the election of the deputies. There is a 
second Chamber, like our House of Lords, called the 
Senate. Some of its members are chosen by the 
country, and some by the National Assembly. Both 
Chambers combine to elect the President, who is 
chosen for seven years, and then gives up his post and 
a new President is chosen. There are ministers who 



THE SECOND EMPIRE AND ITS FALL 293 

carry on the government of the country, and who have 
to rule in such a way as to please the National 
Assembly. If the Assembly is not satisfied with the 
ministers, the President must send them away and 
choose new ones. 

Since the war with Germany, France has been at 
peace, and the prosperity of the country has grown 
steadily. The people are industrious and thrifty. The 
enormous sum of money demanded by Germany at the 
peace has been paid off. Much has been done to 
improve the condition of the country. Roads and 
railways have been made, public buildings built, new 
schools started. Unfortunately the republic has not 
on the whole been friendly to religion, and the Church 
has therefore been in opposition to the government. 

The French cannot submit patiently to see Alsace 
and Lorraine in the hands of Germany, and in the 
hopes of winning them back some day, keep up large 
armies ; every Frenchman has to serve one or more 
years in the army. Germany also keeps up enormous 
armies so as to be ready for war, and these large 
armies make Europe like an armed camp, and give rise 
to constant fear lest there should be another great war. 

Napoleon iii. took refuge in England, where he died 
in 1873. His only son joined the English army, and 
was killed whilst fighting in the Zulu war at the Cape, 
The Empress Eugenie still lives in England. 



INDEX 



Academy, the French, 197 

Acre, 62 

Acre, siege of, 49 

Aetius, 8 

Agincourt, battle of, 112 

Agnes of Meran, 52 

Aix-la-Chapelle, congress at, 223 

AJamans, the, 10 

Albigensian war, the, 53-56 

Alcuin, 21 

AlenQon, Duke of, 176, 177 

Alesia, battle of, 3 

Alexander vi., Pope, 136 

Algiers, 280 

Allies, the, 275 

Alsace, 292, 293 

Amboise, 138, 162, 163 

Amboise, George of, 139, 140 

Amboise, peace of, 169 

Amiens, 41 

Anagni, 78, 79 

Angonlgme, Count of, 144, 149, 

151 
Anjou, Duke of, 103, 104 
Anne of Austria, 194, 199 
Anne of Beaujeu, 134, 135 
Anne of Brittany, 135, 139 
Anne, Queen of England, 213, 216 
Antioch, siege of, 33, 34 
Anthony of Bourbon, king of 

Navarre, 162, 163, 164, 167, 168 
Aquitaine, 101 
Arques, Castle of, 183 
Armagnac, Count of, 110, 112 
Armagnacs, the, 110, 111, 112 
Arras, congress of, 132 
Arras, treaty of, 122 
Artois, 201 

Artois, Robert, Count of, 74 
Attila, 7, 8, 9 
Auray, 99 



Austerlitz, battle of, 267 

Austrasia, 13 

Austrian Succession, war of the, 

221 
Avignon, 79 

Baillis, 56 

Bailly, 235, 243 

Balar6, Le, 178 

Balue, Cardinal la, 129 

Banquets, the political, 283, 284 

Bastille, the, 234, 235, 239 

Bayard, 141, 142, 146, 147 

B6arn, 191 

Beauvais, 41 

Bedford, Duke of, 115, 123 

Bernard, St., 43, 44 

Beresina, passage of the, 273, 27 

Berry, Duke of, 103 

Beza, 165 

B^ziers, siege of, 54, 55 

Bidassoa, the, 153 

Bismarck, 291 

Black Death, the, 88 

Black Prince, the, 91, 92, 100, 

101, 102 
Blanche of Castille, 58, 59, 60, 64 
Blandina, 5 

Blenheim, battle of, 215 
Blockade, the continental, 268, 

269 
Blois, 179 

Blois, Charles of, 86, 99, 100 
Bliicher, 278, 279 
Bonaparte, J6rome, 269 
Bonaparte, Joseph, 268, 271 
Bonaparte, Louis, 268 
Boniface vni., 76-79 
Bordeaux, 100 
Borodino, battle of, 272 
Bossuet, 217 

295 



296 



A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 



BouilM, General, 242 
Boulevards, 289 
Boulogne, camp of, 266 
Bourbon, Constable of, 149-151, 

153, 154 
Bourbon, Duke of, 220, 221 
Bourbon, House of, 181 
Bourges, 115 

Bourges, Archbishop of, 185 
Bouvines, battle of, 53 
Bretigny, peace of, 96 
Brittany, war in, 86, 87, 99, 100 
Brunswick, Duke of, 247 
Buckingham, Duke of, 194 
Burgundians, the, 7, 16 
Burgundy, 98 
Burgundy, Charles, Duke of, 127, 

131 
Burgundy, Jean sans ;peur, Duke 

of, 110, 112, 113 
Burgundy, Mary of, 131, 132 
Burgundy, Philip, Duke of, 98, 

103, 104, 109 
Burgundy, Philip the Good, Duke 

of, 122, 124, 126 

Charles Martel, 15 

Charles the Great, 17-21 

Charles i., the Bald, 22, 23 

Charles ii., the Fat, 25, 26 

Charles ni. , the Simple, 27 

Charles rv., 83 

Charles v., 98-103 

Charles vi., 103, 106-109, 113, 114 

Charles vu., 115-118, 122-124 

Charles vni. , 134-138 

Charlesix., 164, 172-175 

Charles x., 280, 281 

Charles v., the Emperor, 147, 151- 

155, 159, 160 
Charles II. of England, 207, 208 
Charles, Prince of England, 193 
Charles the Bad, king of Navarre, 

90, 91-93, 96 
Charles of Valois, 81 
Charles the Bold, 126-131. 
Charles of Anjou, 67, 71 
Charolois, Count of, 127 
Choiseul, 224, 225 
Chinon, 116 
Chivalry, 37, 38 
Chouans, the, 257 



Clau'veaux, 43 

Clement v. , Pope, 79 

Clement, Jacques, 180 

Clisson, Oliver, 102, 106 

Clotilda, 10 

Clovis, 9, 10-12 

Clubs, the, 240 

Cabochiens, 111-113 

Cairo, 61 

Calais, 87 

Calonne, 230 

Cambrai, 155 

Cambrai, League of, 142 

Campo Formio, treaty of, 261 

Canada, 223, 224 

Capet, house of, 83 

Capet, widow, 255 

Capetians, the, 23, 30, 31 

Carlings, the, 16, 29 

Castile, 100 

Cateau Cambr^sis, treaty of, 161 

Catherine of Medicis, 158, 164, 

171, 173 
Cerda, Charles de la, 90 
Cerdagne, 201 
Csesar, Julius, 3, 4 
Chalons, battle of, 8 
Chamber of Deputies, 279, 283 
Chamber of Nobles, 279 
Chambord, Count of, 282, 293 
Champ de Mats, fgte of the, 238, 

239 
Champ de Mars, massacre of the, 

243, 244 
Chandos, John, 99, 101 
Coblentz, camp at, 247 
Cceur, Jacques, 123 
Cognac, 144 

Colbert, Jean Baptiste, 203-4, 209 
Coligny, Admiral, 162, 168, 171 
Colonna, Sciarra, 78, 79 
Comines, Philippe de, 128, 129, 

137 
Commune of Paris, 249, 250, 292 
Communes, the, 39-42 
Concini, 190, 191 
Cond6, Prince of, 162, 163, 168, 

171-173,201,206 
Constantinople, 125 
Constituent Assembly, the, 285 
Constitution, the, 244, 245, 249 
Constitution, the new, 292 



INDEX 



297 



Consul, the First, 263, 264 
Consulate, the, 262 
Corday, Charlotte, 253, 255 
Cordelier Club, 249, 250 
Coronation of Napoleon i., 266 
Cossacks, the, 273, 275 
Coucy, Sire de, 65 
Coup d'j^tat, the, 288 
Courtray, battle of, 74 
Coutras, battle of, 178 
Craon, Peter, 106, 107 
Crecy, battle of, 87 
Crespy, treaty of, 155 
Crimean War, the, 288, 289 
Crusade, the first, 32-37 
Crusade, the second, 44 
Crusade, the third, 48-51 
Crusades of St. Louis, 60-62, 66, 

67 
Cyprus, 61 

Dagobert, 13 
Dames, Paix des, 154 
Damietta, 61, 62 
Danton, 249, 25Q, 257 
Dauphin, Charles, the, 92-95, ^^ 
Dauphin, title of, 88 
D'Enghien, Duke of, 264, 265 
Desmarets, Jean de, 104, 105 
Desmoulins, Camille, 257 
De Witts, the, 207 
Diana of Poitiers, 158, 161 
Directory, the, 260 
Dominic, St., 55 
Dreux, 183 
Dreux, battle of, 168 
Druids, the, 3, 4 
Dubois, 219, 220 

Edict of Nantes, the, 210, 211 
Edward i. of England, 66, 72, 73 
Edward 11. of England, 73 
Edward ni. of England, 86, 87 
Edward IV. of England, 130 
Egmont, Count, 160 
Egj'pt, 61 

Egypt, expedition to, 261 
Elba, 275 

Eleanor of Guieune, 43-45 
Elizabeth of England, 170 
Emigrants, the, 245 



Enghien, Duke of, 199, 201 
Estates-General, the, 77, 78, 92, 

94, 122, 134, 163, 179, 230- 

234. 
Eudes, Duke of Aquitaine, 15 
Eudes, Count of Paris, 25, 26 
Eugene, Prince, 215 
Eugenie, the Empress, 288, 293 

Faineant kings, 13-16 

Falstaff, Sir John, 116 

Fenelon, 217 

Ferdinand of Castille, 141 

Feudal System, the, 24 

Field of the Cloth of Gold, the, 

148 
Fieschi, conspiracy of, 282 
Flanders, 73-75, 85, 109 
Flemings, the, 85, 86 
Fleury, 220, 221 
Fornovo, battle of, 137 
Fouquet, 203, 204 
Francis I., 144-157 
Francis ii., 161-164 
Franks, the, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 22 
Frederic n., the Emperor, 60 
Frederic 11., king of Prussia, 222, 

223 
Free Companies, the, 97, 100-102 
Frogs of the Marsh, the, 250 
Fronde, the, 200 

Gabelle, the, 87, 91 

Gallo-Komans, the, 11, 12, 22 

Gambetta, 291 

Gaston de Foix, 142 

Gaston of Orleans, 194 

Gaul, 3, 4, 7 

Gauls, the, 2, 3 

General Security, Committee of, 

252, 255 
Girondists, the, 250, 253, 255 
Girondins, the, 245, 246 
Gobelin tapestry, 204 
Godfrey of Bouillon, 33, 34, 36 
Gonsalvo di Cordova, 141 
Grand Alliance, the, 213 
Grand Army, the, 266, 274 
Gueschlin, Bertrand du, 99-103 
Guienne, 72, 123 
Gnillotine, the, 252, 253 



298 



A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 



Guinegatte, battle of, 132 
Guise, Claude, Duke of, 158 
Guise, Francis, Duke of, 158. 

159, 160-163, 167, 168 
Guise, Henry Duke of, 177-179 
Guizot, 282 

Henrietta Maria, 193 

Henry i. , 31 

Henry n., 158, 160, 161 

Henry m., 176-180 

Henry iv., 181-189 

Henry 11. of England, 45, 47 

Henry ni. of England, 58, 64 

Henry v. of England, 112-114 

Henry vi. of England, 115, 124 

Henry vn. of England, 142 

Henry vm. of England, 148, 

157 
Henry of Anjou, 170, 173, 175 
Henry of Navarre, 170, 171, 173, 

174, 177, 178 
Henry of Trastamare, 100, 101 
Henries, war of the three, 177, 

178 
Hoche, General, 256 
Holland, 206, 207 
Hugh Capet, 29, 30 
Huguenots, the, 159, 162-178, 191, 

210, 211, 220 
Hundred Days, the, 277 
Hundred Years' War, the, 86- 

92 
Hungarians, the, 145 
Huns, the, 7, 8 

Ingeborg, 52 
Innocent n., 48 
Isabella of Aragon, 141 
Italian Expedition, the, 136 
Italy, campaign of, 261 
Ivry, battle of, 183 

Jacobins, the, 240, 246 
Jacquerie, the, 95 
James n. of England, 212 
Jarnac, battle of, 171 
Jean le Bon, 89-92 
Jeanne Dare, 116-122 
Jeanne d'Albret, 167, 170, 171 
Jeanne of Champagne, 72 



Jeanne Hachette, 130 

Jerusalem, 34-36 

Jews, the, 47 

John, king of England, 51-53 

John of Gaunt, 102 

John Tristan, 62, 70 

Joinville, Sire de, 61, 64, 66 

Josephine, the Empress, 266, 271 

Jubilee, the, 76 

Julian, the Emperor, 4 

Julius n.. Pope, 142 

Kleber, General, 262 
Knights-Templars, the, 80 
Koenig, Peter, 73 

Lafayette, Marquis of, 229, 235, 

237-239, 243, 248 
La Hogue, battle of, 212 
Lamartine, 284, 285 
Laon, 41 

La Eenaudie, 162, 163 
La Eochelle, 170, 175, 192-194 
La Tr^mouUle, 135 
League of the Public Good, 127 
League, the Holy, 177, 186 
Lecoq, Eobert, 92, 93 
Legitimists, the, 282 
Legislative Assembly, the, 244, 

245-247, 249 
Leipzig, battle of, 274 
Le Mans, 41 
L'Hopital, Chancellor, 163-165, 

171 
Liege, 127, 129 

Lilies, Princes of the, 103, 105 
Lille, 207, 215 
Lombards, the. 17 
Lorraine, 292, 293 
Lorraine, Cardinal of, 159, 162. 

170 
Louis le Debonnaire, 21, 22 
Louis VI. , le Gros, 39, 41-44 
Louis vn., 44-46 
Louis vm., 58 
Louis IX., 59-68 
Louis X. , le Hutin, 81 
Louis XI., 126-133 
Louis xn., 139-143 
Louis xin., 190-192, 196 
Louis XIV., 199, 201-217 
Louis XV., 218-226 



INDEX 



299 



Louis XVI., 227-232, 234, 237- 

239, 241-245, 247, 252 
Louis XVIII. , 277, 279, 280 
Louis Philippe, 281-284 
Louis Napoleon, 283, 285-288 
Louise of Savoy, 144, 149, 151 
Louvois, 206, 210 
Louvre, the, 102, 188, 258 
Ludovico il Moro, 136, 137, 140 
Lutetia, 4 
Luther, 155 

Luxembourg, General, 212 
Luynes, Albert de, 191 
Lyons, 5 

Madrid, 151 

Madrid, treaty of, 152, 153 

Magenta, battle of, 289 

Maillotins, the, 103, 104 

Maintenon, Madame de, 216, 217 

Maltote, the, 75 

Mansourah, 61 

Marat, 241, 246, 253, 255 

Marcelle, Etienne, 92-96 

Marengo, battle of, 263 

Margaret of Valois, 152, 156 

Maria Leczinska, 220 

Maria Theresa, 201, 213 

Maria Theresa, the Empress, 221- 

223 227 
Marie Antoinette, 227, 228, 237- 

239, 241-244, 246-248, 255 
Marie Louise, the Archduchess, 

271 
Marignano, 146, 147, 149 
Marlborough, Duke of, 213, 215, 

216 
Marmousets, 106. 
Marseillaise, the, 248 
Mary of Bursundy, 147 
Mary of England, 143 
Mary Queen of Scots, 159, 161 
Mary of Medicis, 187-195 
Mary Tudor, 160 

Maximilian of Austria, 132, 136, 142 
Massacres in the prisons, 249 
Mayenne, Duke, 180, 183-186 
Mayors of the Palace, 13-16 
Mazarin, Cardinal, 199-202 
Meaux, 95 
Merovee, 8 
Merovingians, the, 9 



Metz, 159, 200, 222, 292 
Mignons, the, 176 
Milan, 146, 147, 149 
Milan, Duchy of, 140 
Mirabeau, 231, 232, 240, 241 
Mohammed, 15 
Moli^re, 204, 205 
Moltke, 290, 291 
Mons-en-Puelle, battle of, 74 
Montauban, 192 
Montereau, 113 
Montfort, Countess of, 87 
Montfort, Jean de, 87,' 100 
Montfort, Simon de, 54-56, 58 
Montmorency, Constable Anne de, 

158, 160, 165, 168 
Montpensier, Duchess of, 181 
Morlay, James de, 80 
Moscow, 272, 273 
Mountain, the, 250, 252, 257 
Murat, 270 

Najara, battle of, 100 

Nancy, 241 

Nantes, 256 

Nantes, Edict of, 186, 191 

Naples, 137, 141 

Napoleon Bonaparte, 260-278 

Napoleon ni., 288-291, 293 

National Assembly, the, 231, 

233, 236-238, 244, 292 
National Convention, the, 250, 

255, 256, 258 
National Defence, Government of, 

291 
National Guard, the, 235, 237-239, 

243 
Necker, 229, 230, 234 
Nelson, Admiral, 262 
Netherlands, the, 169 
Neustria, 12, 15 
Nimeguen, peace of, 208 
Normandy, 52 
Nogaret, WiUiam of, 78 
Northmen, the, 23-29 
Novara, battle of, 140 

Ollivier, 290 

Olivier le Daim, 127, 134 
Oriflamme, the, 43 
Orleans, Louis, Duke of, 107, 109, 
110 



300 



A FIRST HISTORY OF FRANCE 



Orleans, Duke of (1372-1407), 112 
Orleam, Philip, Duke of, 218, 220 
Orleans, Duke of (1747-1793), 234 
Orleans, Louis Philippe, Duke of, 

281 
Orleans, Ferdinand, Duke of, 283 
Orleans, siege of, 115-118 

Palais-Eoyal, 219 

Palatinate, the, 212 

Paris, 4, 6, 8, 25, 56, 92, 96, 183, 

234-236, 243, 291 
Paris, Archbishops of, 285, 292 
Paris, Count of, 284 
Paris, peace of, 289 
Paris, treaty of, 224 
Parlement, the, 56, 79, 155 
Parma, Prince of, 184 
Pastoureaux, crusade of the, 62, 63 
Pavia, battle of, 150 
Peninsular War, the, 270, 271 
Pepin d'Heristal, 13, 14 
Pepin the Short, 16, 17 
Peronne, 128, 129 
Peter of Aragon, 71 
Peter the Cruel, 100, 101 
Peter the Hermit, 32, 33 
Petit Trianon, 228 
Philip I., 31 

Philip II. (Augustus), 46-53, 55-57 
Philip m., the Rash, 70, 71 
Philip IV., the Fair, 71-81 
Philip v., leLong, 82 
Philip VI. of Valois, 85-88 
Philip II. of Spain, 160, 169, 170, 

177, 183 
Pitt, WilUam, 262, 268 
Plebiscite, the, 263, 265 
Plessis les Tours, 132 
Plotinus, 5 

Poissy, conference of, 165 
Poitiers, battle of, 16, 92 
Polycarp, 5 

Pompadour, Madame de, 222-224 
Portugal, 270 
Presburg, treaty of, 267 
Provisional Government, the, 284, 

285 
Prussia, king of, 290, 291 
Public Safety, Committee of, 252 
Pyrenees, peace of the, 201, 206 

Quebec, battle of, 224 



Ravaillac, 188 

Reformation, the religious, 156 
Religious wars, 168-171 
Remigius, 10, 11 
Renaissance, the, 125, 157 
Restoration, the first, 275 
Restoration, the second, 279 
Retz, Cardinal de, 201 
Revolutionary Tribunal, the, 253 
Revolution, the, 234, 244 
Revolution of 1830, 281 
Revolution of February, 284 
Rheims, 11, 118, 126 
Richard the Lion-hearted, 48-51 
Richelieu, Cardinal, 192-197 
Richemont, the Constable, 122, 123 
Robert the Strong, 23 
Robert I., the Pious, 31 
Robespierre, 246, 250, 257, 258 
Rocroy, battle of, 199 
Roland, Chanson de, 17 
Rollo, 27, 28 
Romans, the, 3, 4, 7 
Rome, 7, 76 
Rome, king of, 271 
Rome, the sack of, 153, 154 
Roncesvalles, 17 
Roosebek, battle of, 104 
Rouen, 27, 120 
Roussillon, 201 

Russia, Emperor of, 267, 268, 272 
Russia, invasion of, 272 
Ryswick, treaty of, 212 

Sainte Chapelle, the, 68 

St. Bartholomew, Massacre of, 

172-175 
St. Bernard, 43, 44 
St. Bernard Pass, 263 
St. Cloud, 180, 181 
St. Denis, 13 

St. Denis, Abbey of, 43, 70 
St. Dionysius, 6 
St. Genevieve, 8 
St. Helena, 278 
St. Irenseus, 6 
St. Just, 257, 258 
St. Martin of Tours, 6, 7, 12 
St. Pol, H6tel of, 102 
St. Quentin, 41 
St. Quentin, battle of, 160 
St. Vincent de Paul, 200 



INDEX 



301 



Saladin, 48 

Salic Law, the, 82, 185 

Saracens, the, 15, 16 

Saragossa, 271 

Savonarola, 137 

Saxons, the, 14, 18 

Scottish archers, the, 132 

Sebastopol, siege of, 289 

Sedan, battle of, 290, 291 

Senate, the, 292 

Sepulchre, the Holy, 36 

Seven Years' War, the, 223, 224 

Sevres china, 204 

Sforza, Maximilian, 145 

Sicilian Vesper, the, 70, 71 

Sidney Smith, Admiral, 262 

Silesia, 222, 223 

Sluys, battle of, 86 

Soissons, battle of, 9, 10 

Solferino, battle of, 289 

Sorbonne, the, 69 

Spain, 270, 271 

Spanish Succession, the, 213 

Spurs, battle of the, 142 

Stanislaus, king of Poland, 221 

Strassburg, oath of, 22 

Strassburg, 208, 213 

Suger, Abbot, 39, 43-45 

Sully, Duke of, 187, 188, 197 

Swiss, the, 146 

Swiss Guard, the, 248 

TaUle, the, 122, 123 
Temple prison, the, 250 
Tennis-Court Oath, the, 231 
Terror, the, 252-258 
Theodoric, 8 

Thirty Years' War, the, 196 
Tiberias, battle of, 48 
Tilsitt, peace of, 268, 269 
Toul, 159, 200 
Toulouse, 70 

Toulouse, Coimt of, 53, 54-56 
Tours, 6 



Triumvirate, the, 165 
Troyes, treaty of, 113 
Truce of God, the, 32 
Tuileries, the, 237, 242, 247, 

292 
Turenne, Marshal, 199-201 
Turgot, 228, 229 
Tunis, 67 
Turks, the, 35, 37, 145 

Ulm, capitulation of, 266 
University of Paris, the, 66 
Urban II., Pope, 33 
Utrecht, peace of, 215 

Valentina Visconti, 140 
Varennes, flight to, 242, 243 
Vauban, 206, 207, 215 
Vaudois, the, 157 
Vassy, massacre of, 167 
Vendee, rising in La, 256 
Venice, 140, 290 
Vercingetorix, 3 
Verdun, 159, 200 
Verdun, treaty of, 22 
Versailles, 205, 234, 237 
Vervins, peace of, 186 
Victor Emmanuel, 289, 290 
Victoria, Queen, 289 
Vienne, Dauphin of, 88 
Visconti, Valentina, 109 
Visigoths, the, 7 
Voltaire, 223 

Walter the Penniless, 33 
Washington, George, 229 
Waterloo, battle of, 277, 278 
Wellesley. See Wellington 
Wellington, Duke of, 270, 277, 

278, 279 
Westphalia, treaty of, 200 
William of Normandy, 32 
William of Orange, 207, 208, 212 
Wolsey, 149 



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